Town of Van Buren, NY -- Former Solvay police officer Curt Francemone, who pointed a gun in a bar, pleaded guilty Monday evening to second- degree harassment for punching a man during a bar fight early on Valentine's Day.

Francemone, 52, of Geddes, who is an investigator with the Oneida Nation Police Department, did not face charges for pulling his gun out and pointing it during the fight.

He pleaded guilty in front of Justice Darlene O'Kane to the single charge which stems from punching another man. Second-degree harassment is a violation under New York law. The judge sentenced him to a one-year conditional discharge and ordered him to pay a $200 fine plus a $125 mandatory fee.

Over the defense's objections, the judge also granted a request by the district attorney's office that for the period of a year Francemone can have no contact with Chester Orzel, the man he admitted punching.

Curt Francemone in a 2003 file photo

The district attorney sought the order of protection because both men frequent the same bar, Assistant District Attorney Anthony Copani told the judge.

"I think it's probably very unlikely that Mr. Francemone will frequent this establishment ever again," said Louis Mannara, his defense attorney.

Francemone was scheduled to be arraigned in Solvay Village Court last week, but both justices there recused themselves from the case. His case was then switched to the court in Van Buren.

The district attorney's office said that the charge against Francemone did not stem from him pointing a handgun in a bar. Francemone is an investigator with the Oneida Nation Police and has a permit to carry a handgun, the district attorney's office said.

Syracuse.com has contacted the Onedia Nation police department to ask about Francemone's status with the department.

"While his actions, specifically pulling his gun out in a crowded bar, was an exercise in poor judgment, under these particular facts and circumstances, that conduct does not rise to the level of a criminal offense," the district attorney's press release said.

Francemone declined to speak with the media after his court appearance.

His lawyer, Mannara, said the case was not about pointing a gun in a bar. "This was a harassment case plain and simple. It was not the gun case it has been made out to be so far," the lawyer said.

The charge stems from a bar fight at about 1:15 a.m. on Feb. 14, at Bosco's Village Pub, 201 Cogswell Ave., Solvay. Video of the fight taken by bar patrons shows a man pointing a handgun.

What the video does not show is what started the fight.

Mannara said the fight began after another bar patron, Orzel, used a very vulgar term to refer to Francemone's wife. When she told her husband about the remark, Francemone punched Orzel, his attorney said.

Surveillance video from the bar shows the men separating, but then a crowd encircles Francemone and he pulls out a handgun, his attorney said. However, video from the bar also shows that Francemone did not have his finger on the gun's trigger, Mannara said.

The district attorney's investigation found that after a "heated verbal exchange", between Francemone and Chester Orzel, Francemone punched Orzel twice. A brief scuffle took place and the men were separated.

Both men then moved to opposite ends of the pub. But, Orzel reignited the confrontation by "aggressively approaching Francemone and threatening to physically harm him," the press release said. Francemone then briefly displayed and pointed a handgun at Orzel and the incident ended.

"The witnesses and the video indicate that Francemone was surrounded at the time. As Orzel rushed towards him threatening to harm him, Francemone believed himself to be in reasonable fear for his safety and other family members present," the press release said.

Francemone worked for the Solvay Police Department in the early 1990s before moving to the Syracuse Police Department for at least seven years, according to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives. He rejoined the Solvay department in 2002, the archives show. The website for the Oneida Nation's police department, lists Francemone as an investigator.