Ex-Trooper avoids jail time for drunken Utica home break-in

UTICA, N.Y. (AP) - A former state trooper has pleaded guilty to assaulting a homeowner after mistakenly breaking into the wrong Utica house after a night of drinking.

Local media outlets report that 31-year-old Jesse Miller pleaded guilty Wednesday in Oneida County Court to misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief and assault charges.
 
Authorities say Miller was off duty early on the morning of Dec. 31 when he drunkenly forced his way into a house about a block away from his own home. The startled resident hit Miller in the head with a hammer during a scuffle.
 
Miller later resigned from the state police after serving four years as a trooper.

Prosecutors say Miller won't serve jail time. He'll be sentenced in July to three years' probation and community service, and ordered to pay restitution for the damage he caused to the home.