FREDONIA, Wis. — The man accused in a multi-day armed standoff that shut down a Fredonia neighborhood for days last May has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Matthew Novak sat silently in court Monday as his attorney entered the special plea on six felony counts. The case had been delayed for several months after Novak was initially ruled incompetent to stand trial, but he has since been restored to competency.
"I would like to enter a special plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect," Novak's attorney Jason Luczak said in court.
Novak faces prison time, but could instead be committed if the court finds he did not understand the wrongfulness of his actions during the May incident.
Watch: Man accused in Fredonia standoff pleads not guilty by reason of mental defect
Prosecutors accuse Novak of shooting his gun wildly into the air, pointing it at law enforcement, and making vulgar threats while refusing to exit his Fredonia home during the armed standoff.
The incident forced neighbors to shelter in their homes. Last weekend, TMJ4 visited the neighborhood where the standoff happened more than nine months ago.
Bonnie Pachner, who lives a few doors down from Novak's home, said the scars from the incident remain visible, both physically and mentally.
"It was a little scary, yeah," Pachner said. "Officers came to the door and were talking about the man who was shooting guns and that we should not leave our home," Pachner said.
The home in question remains boarded up and vacant. The Village of Fredonia has filed a legal petition to address the nuisance by removing or restoring the home.
Novak will next appear in court in April.
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