The man who called 911 and threatened to kill the president while Barack Obama and his family were here on Christmas holiday was drunk and living on the street, his lawyer, Alexander Silvert, said yesterday in federal court.

“;It was a cry for help,”; he said.

Willis D. Powell, 58, was facing a federal prison term of up to five years for threatening the president Dec. 30. However, under the terms of an agreement with the government, Powell pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor threat to assault a U.S. official.

A federal magistrate judge sentenced Powell yesterday to the four days he has already spent in jail and one year of supervised release in West Virginia, his home state.

Powell apologized for his actions to the court, the president and the country.

“;I made a damn fool of myself, and I apologize,”; he said.

Silvert said after Powell made the call, he passed out. He said Powell does not hate Obama and even voted for him.

Authorities located Powell by tracking his cell phone. He had been kicked out of the YMCA on Atkinson Street for failing to pay rent and other problems.

Silvert said Powell lives most of the year with friends in West Virginia and spends the winter months in warmer climates.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Song said since Obama took office, threats against the president have increased 400 percent. Some days there are as many as 30 threats, he said.