A 47-year-old man grabbed someone by the neck with both hands last November, resulting in his second arrest on a felony strangulation charge, Darien police said.
Police gave this account of what happened in the November incident, including accusations not proven in court:
Arrest photo from Darien police
Patrick Gately of Plandome, New York, charged with strangulation, risk of injury to a child and assault.
When Patrick Gately, was in an argument somewhere in Darien at some time on Nov. 14, 2020, he stood up from where he was sitting and grabbed the victim by the neck with both hands.
More than a couple of people present were able to corroborate that account. Pictures were taken of the victim’s neck, showing marks, then given to investigators.
Police applied for an arrest warrant, which was approved by prosecutors and a judge. It charges Gately, who now lives at Westgate Boulevard in Plandome, New York, with both second-degree strangulation and third degree assault, a misdemeanor. According to the state Judicial Branch website, he is also charged with two counts of risk of injury to a minor, a felony.
Gately turned himself in at Police Headquarters on April 6 and was released after paying a $75,000 bond. He appeared April 7 in state Superior Court in Stamford. He had another court appearance on Monday, April 12, according to the Judicial Branch website.
In January, Gately was arrested by police concerning an incident that had happened early that day. Here’s Darienite.com’s account of that incident, also from police who made accusations not proven in court:
Sometime before 9:43 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21, Patrick Gately, who then lived on Hollow Tree Ridge Road arrived home and got into a dispute with at least one person, whom he held in a headlock. A second person tried to intervene, and Gately held that person by the neck against a wall.
Police later determined that they had probable cause to charge Gately with second-degree strangulation on the accusation he held the second person by the neck. He was also charged with second-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree assault and, because children were present, three counts of risk of injury to a minor.
All six charges are felonies.
At some point, one of the victims broke free, and Gately pulled that person’s hair.
While police were at the home, they were told that on Dec. 1, another verbal dispute became physical between one of the victims and Gately. At some point during that dispute the two were on the floor when Gately pushed a bench into the victim’s head, causing bruises. At the time, pictures were taken of the bruises, which were then given to police after they arrived for the second incident.
Police applied for an arrest warrant on Friday, Jan. 22, which received approval from a prosecutor and a judge, so Gately was also charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor.
On Jan. 21, police arrested Gately on charges of second-degree strangulation, three counts of risk of injury to a child, first-degree unlawful restraint and second-degree assault. All six charges are felonies. He was released after paying a $100,000 bond.
A day later, on Jan. 22, Gately was charged by Darien police with third-degree assault involving a Dec. 1 2020 incident.
Patrick Gately DOB: 8/26/1973 73 Westgate Blvd, Plandome, NY Charges: 53a-64bb: Strangulation 2nd Degree 53a-61: Assault 3rd
Complainant stated that on November 14th, 2020 they and the suspect, identified as Patrick Gately, got into argument. During the argument Gately stood up from where he was sitting and grabbed the victim by the neck with both hands. Other parties present at the time were able to corroborate the sequence of events. Further, pictures of the victim’s neck showing injury had been taken at the time and were turned over to investigators. Based on the above, an arrest warrant for Gately was applied for and granted. On April 6th, Gately turned himself into this agency on the active arrest warrant. He was processed for the above charges and released on a $75,000 court set bond. He was due in court on April 7th .