Police: New Windsor man found with over 50 firearms after arrest for brandishing gun at neighbor

News 12 is taking a close look at the case of a 77-year-old Orange County man who police say had more than 50 firearms seized but then returned, after he allegedly threatened his neighbor with a gun.

Police say Gary Dreyer, from New Windsor, pulled a small, silver firearm from his waistband and pointed it at his female neighbor on Veronica Avenue Feb. 27 during a verbal dispute about loud music.

News 12 went to the neighborhood on Monday and spoke to one resident who says she was leaving her driveway when Gary Dreyer came over to confront the woman. She claims the music wasn’t loud and that Dreyer is a neighborhood nuisance.

“We literally live next door to them. We never hear anything,” says Ayla Delgado. “Over there, they are constantly complaining about random things. They come over and every day it’s a new complaint. They’re constantly calling code on people about their grass being too long or about the garbage.”

The police report obtained by News 12 describes the incident as a “man with a weapon,” and authorities say the altercation was captured on the victim’s surveillance camera.

Delgado, an adult, says her younger sister witnessed the firearm being brandished during the alleged incident.

“My dad makes us stay inside now. He doesn’t want us outside,” says Delgado.

Police say the firearms were found and seized from Gary Dreyer’s home following his arrest.

Despite the allegations, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office says New Windsor Judge George Meyers Jr. denied their request for a restraining order and gave the firearms back to a “co-owner.”

Gary Dreyer’s attorney is also his son, Daryl Dreyer, who has a law office nearby in Newburgh. He says the allegations are untrue and that his father was “gesturing with his hands” during the argument but never brandished a gun.

“Gary Dreyer did not commit the acts he is accused of committing and he will be exonerated through the court process,” says Daryl Dreyer.

News 12 called the courthouse to speak to Judge Meyers Jr. for comment but hasn’t heard back. According to an official source, Meyers worked with Daryl Dreyer’s daughter when they were both employed for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

“He has connections,” says Delgado. “Everybody’s trying to smooth it over and they thought she’d just let it go when in reality – who wants to let that go?”

Gary Dreyer was charged with menacing with a weapon, a misdemeanor, and released without bail, according to prosecutors.