3 months for man who pulled gun on snowblower operator

A Bucks County man who pulled a gun on a snowblower operator who had buried his car in an apartment parking lot was sentenced today to serve three months in prison.

Eddie Lee Simmons Jr., 26, a recent transplant from North Carolina who had excelled in college and had no criminal record, "snapped" when he looked out of his Bensalem window Jan. 12 to see his 2004 Mazda disappearing under a mountain of snow, his lawyer said.

"He completely overreacted to an ugly situation," defense attorney Craig Penglase said after the hearing in Bucks County Court.

"I'm very embarrassed and ashamed," Simmons told Judge John J. Rufe.

Simmons admitted that he had grabbed a handgun, brandished it at snowblower operator Peter Morsa, and said, "Somebody had better move this snow, or somebody's going to get shot." He pleaded guilty to eight misdemeanors, including simple assault, terroristic threats, possession of an instrument of crime and carrying a firearm without a license.

Penglase said that Simmons had only lived in the area for about a month. He had gotten home late the night before when the apartment lot was full and had left his car in a tow-away zone, making snow removal difficult for Morsa and a coworker.

Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Vaughan called Simmons' actions "a scary situation for everyone."

The crime was the most over-the-top episode of snow rage reported in this year's unusually cold and snowy winter. About six inches had fallen overnight in Bensalem.

Simmons has been in the Bucks County prison since the incident, and should be eligible for parole in about two weeks, Penglase said. He will then have to serve two years on probation and undergo a mental health evaluation.

Penglase said that Simmons plans to return to his family's home at the Outer Banks of North Carolina - where snowstorms are rare.