Armonk Man Charged With Attempted Murder of Police Officer
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
An Armonk man was charged Tuesday with attempted murder after attacking a North Castle police officer at his home with a knife earlier this month.
Joseph Spennato, 38, of 14 Hallock Place, was arraigned May 28 by Westchester County Police at Westchester Medical Center on the felony charge of Aggravated Attempted Murder of a Police Officer where he has been hospitalized since being shot in the abdomen and the leg by a North Castle police officer on May 20.
According to Westchester County Police, Sgt. William McClure and Police Officer Chris Costa of North Castle went to Spennato’s home at 12:26 p.m. May 20 to assist a 78-year-old woman, Spennato’s mother, who needed medical care.
While at the residence, the officers encountered Spennato and knew that there were two bench warrants for his arrest for failing to appear in town court on a misdemeanor charge. When the officers attempted to take him into custody, Spennato allegedly grabbed a five-inch folding knife and attempted to stab McClure, who was wearing a ballistic vest, multiple times in the back.
Spennato was then shot two times by Costa. According to Kieran O’Leary, public information officer for Westchester County Police, police had to wait eight days to charge Spennato until he could recover and be fully aware of what he was facing.
He was ordered held without bail at arraignment and will be remanded to Westchester County Jail upon his release from the hospital.
O’Leary said McClure and Costa were treated and released at the hospital the same day of the incident.
Westchester County Police were requested to take over the investigation, which it conducted with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
