CHELSEA — A 68-year-old Fairlee man who fired a handgun near the Lyme Bridge and Route 5 in East Thetford in February has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment. A felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon was dropped.

Steven Duffy was handed down a deferred one-year sentence in Orange County Superior Court on May 1, according to court records. As part of his plea deal, Duffy must submit to a mental health screening and is to have no contact with either the victim or a witness to the Feb. 7 incident.

According to police, Duffy fired his gun in the direction of a vehicle in front of him after Duffy pulled up behind the vehicle and began honking his horn.

No one was injured by the gunfire, which occurred in the middle of the afternoon near a cluster of small businesses, including the Little Feet Children’s Center.

Police traced the vehicle to Duffy’s residence on Route 5 a couple miles north of the incident with evidence in the vehicle tying it to the incident, police said.