A Gloucester man will serve eight months in jail for having heroin and threatening a local cab driver with a knife.
Gerald Russo, 32, was ordered by Judge Joseph Jennings to serve the jail time, but had the rest of a two-year jail term suspended in Gloucester District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to heroin possession and assault with a dangerous weapon for threatening a the cab driver two months ago.
Russo, listed as being from Gloucester but with no known address, was also placed on probation through September 2013 by Judge Jennings and ordered to take part in a Salvation Army rehabilitation program upon his release.
According to Gloucester police, officers had arrested Russo at the Tedeschi's convenience store on Washington Street the night of Jan. 27 after responding to a call that a homeless man had threatened a cab driver with a knife.
The driver told police that, after refusing to give Russo a ride because he couldn't pay the fare, Russo had started banging on the hood of the driver's van and threatened to kill him.
The driver said that, when he saw that Russo had a knife, he drove off.
Officers located Russo at the convenience store, and arrested him after he was identified by the driver.
After an "uncooperative and lengthy" booking process, according to police reports, officers found syringes and heroin in his pockets.
Steven Fletcher can be reached at 978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucetertimes.com.
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