Christopher J. Eberhart

ceberhart@lohud.com

PATTERSON - A 56-year-old Patterson man who told two employees of a local grocery store that he "wants to shoot all Spanish-speaking people" is in custody, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday.

Police say two employees of Putnam Lake Market on Fairfield Drive were talking to each other in Spanish when they were interrupted by Wayne Rossi, who allegedly said, “This is our country. We speak English here,” and then allegedly threatened "to shoot all Spanish-speaking people.”

The incident took place around 1 p.m. on Nov. 22. After an investigation, police identified and located Rossi, who police say admitted to confronting the store employee.

Police say they later found Rossi possessed a .22-caliber rifle, which he's legally not allowed to own because he was previously convicted of a felony.

Rossi was arrested and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor, and second-degree harrassment, a violation, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.

He was arraigned before Town of Patterson Justice Anthony Mole and committed to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of $500.00 bail or $1,500.00 bond, pending a January 10, 2017 court appearance.

If found guilty of the misdemeanor charge, Rossi could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Twitter: @ChrisEberhart