Troy man pleads guilty to pointing rifle at neighbor

A Troy man recently pleaded guilty to criminal endangerment after an incident involving an AR-15 rifle.

Peter Andrew Frederick, 54, entered his plea Aug. 12 in Lincoln County District Court. Judge Matt Cuffe set Frederick’s sentencing for Oct. 7. A plea deal calls for a 5-year suspended sentence.

Deputy County Attorney Jeffrey Zwang prosecuted the case while Ben Kolter defended Frederick.

According to the narrative by Troy police officer Travis Miller, he was called to First Street at about 9:37 p.m. April 1, after dispatch received a report of a man pointing a rifle at people. The caller said a man with an AR-15 walked up to his son and pointed it at him.

He lowered it, shook the son’s hand, then chambered a round in the rifle and said, “My wife has been cheating on me and you better be on my side.” The man said the accused pointed the rifle at his son again before walking away.

Miller called then-Chief Katie Davis and discussed the information with her. She said she thought the man may be Frederick because she had just dealt with him in a situation where she had to take his ammunition. After looking information up on the computer, the officers determined the man was Frederick. 

County Deputy Brandon Huff arrived to assist and they drove to Frederick’s home. The defendant told the officers that he had some problems with his neighbors and that he’d brought his gun with him when he talked to a man. He also said he didn’t point it at him.

Frederick, according to Miller’s narrative, said he moved to Troy from Oregon to get away from the drug problem. He said his wife was addicted to meth and he managed to get her off the drug for 10 years. He also said after they moved to Troy they lived next door to a man Frederick said is one of the biggest meth pushers in Troy. 

Frederick said while he was out of town for work, the man got his wife back on meth and had sex with her. Frederick also told the officer his neighbors were tormenting him by driving past his house, revving their engines and following him to the store and blocking him in.

When officer Miller spoke to the victim the next day, April 2, he learned the son was talking with friends when a man walked behind him and heard a sound described as a round being chambered into a firearm. The man said Frederick pointed the rifle at his head before lowering it and shaking his hand.