A Greenfield man who threatened McClain High School band members with a pellet gun has been told by a judge to leave the village and not return if he wants to stay out of jail, a court spokesperson said Monday.

Ronald Penn, a 47-year-old former resident of North Street in Greenfield, pled guilty to charges of aggravated menacing and inducing panic during a pretrial Monday in Highland County Court in Greenfield.

Judge Robert Judkins accepted Penn’s guilty plea and then sentenced him to six months in jail with seven days of credit for time served, according to the court spokesperson. Penn was also ordered to surrender a pellet gun to the Greenfield Police Department.

However, the judge told Penn that he could be released from jail on the condition that he leave Greenfield immediately after being furloughed and not return to the village. Penn was also ordered not to possess any firearms and not to reside in any place that firearms are present.

Penn is required to pay $100 in courts costs.

Greenfield Police Chief Jeremiah Oyer said last week that Penn was apparently intoxicated on Sept. 11 when he threatened members of the McClain band with a pellet gun.

He had been held in jail on $300,000 bond on the two charges since that time.

Oyer said that at 4:20 p.m. on Sept. 11 his office received a report of a male subject on the front porch of a residence on North Street in Greenfield waving what appeared to be a rifle and issuing threats toward McClain marching band members as they were walking past him.

All available police units were dispatched to the scene, Oyer said, and when they arrived they found Penn.

Penn had a pellet rifle in his possession and was shouting at members of the band, Oyer said.

Officers recovered the pellet rifle and arrested Penn on misdemeanor charges of aggravated menacing and inducing panic.

Greenfield Superintendent Joe Wills said last week that after school band members were on their way back to the school from the practice football field when they reported to two teachers that an individual had threatened them in some way. Wills said the teachers called the police department and that police officers responded immediately.

Wills said none of the students were hurt.

Oyer said that Penn did not fire any shots from the pellet gun, but that he was acting in a threatening manner.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or [email protected].