A Seymour man accused of forcing his way into his neighbor’s residence and holding a woman captive at gunpoint was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation Monday.
Michael Allegretto faces a mountain of criminal charges after the bizarre incident, which started at 5 a.m. Friday.
That is when Allegretto allegedly dragged the resident out of her kitchen, and held her at gunpoint in the basement of the multi-family home on Derby Avenue. Allegretto said his reason was that he believed the neighbors were trying to hurt him, police said.
“Mr. Allegretto is accusing the occupants of trying to cause him some bodily harm,” said Seymour police Lt. Paul Satkowski. “He claims he smelled a burning smell for the past several days.”
Here’s how it went down, according to police:
The victim woke up at about 5 a.m. and went into her kitchen. Allegretto kicked in the door and entered the apartment with a gun.
Another man in the apartment, hearing the commotion and seeing Allegretto in the kitchen with the gun, called 911 from another room. At that point, Allegretto allegedly pulled the woman out of the apartment and brought her into the basement.
“There he makes several threatening comments toward her,” Satkowski said. “He puts her life in jeopardy.”
The woman was able to get away and get back into her apartment to call 911. Within minutes, police arrived and found Allegretto outside the home, Satkowski said.
Police took Allegretto into custody. They got permission to search his apartment, where they found a “cache” of weapons and ammunition, Satkowski said. All but one firearm appear to be legally registered to Allegretto, Satkowski said. Police are still investigating the guns, which included rifles and pistols.
The Charges
Police charged Allegretto, 54, with home invasion, first-degree kidnapping with a firearm, second-degree criminal mischief, two counts of second-degree threatening, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, and failure to keep narcotics in their original container.
The narcotics charge is because police found unlabeled pills on Allegretto when they arrested him, Satkowski said. He was held in custody over the weekend on a $250,000 bond.
Allegretto was arraigned Monday afternoon at Superior Court in Derby.
As court marshals brought him into the courtroom, Allegretto looked toward the male victim sitting in the front row, shrugged his shoulders and said “I’m sorry.”
The man declined to comment on the incident. Allegretto’s son, who was also in court Monday, also declined to comment.
Judge Richard Arnold lowered Allegretto’s bond to $200,000, and ordered he have no contact with the victims and possess no weapons if released.
Calling the incident “totally irrational behavior,” Judge Arnold also ordered Allegretto seek a psychological evaluation.
“I don’t know what happened, but it’s obvious he snapped,” Judge Arnold said.
Allegretto, who made bail Monday afternoon, is scheduled to appear in court again on Feb. 28.
