Commuter Nag Acquitted of Train Assault
NEW YORK (UPI) -- A lawyer who objected to a teenager talking on his cell phone on a New York train was cleared of harassment and assault charges Tuesday. Manhattan Judge Larry Stephen acquitted John Clifford, ruling he did not have any criminal intent in a dispute on the Long Island Railroad in March 2007, Newsday reported. Witnesses during the trial described Clifford as a self-appointed behavior monitor. Donna DeCurtis, who said she was "petrified" of Clifford, described a 2006 altercation when he ordered her to talk less loudly. Prosecutor Mary Weisgerber compared him to "a dog marking his territory." Clifford, a former police officer who represented himself, said he only wanted "to get to work as peacefully as possible." The incident that led to the court case began when Clifford complained that Nicholas Bender, 19, was talking too loudly on his cell phone. Weisgerber said Bender had just learned a cousin had kidney failure. A woman who offered Bender her business card said Clifford tried to grab it and struck her on the hand.
NEW YORK (UPI) -- A lawyer who objected to a teenager talking on his cell phone on a New York train was cleared of harassment and assault charges Tuesday. Manhattan Judge Larry Stephen acquitted John Clifford, ruling he did not have any criminal intent in a dispute on the Long Island Railroad in March 2007, Newsday reported. Witnesses during the trial described Clifford as a self-appointed behavior monitor. Donna DeCurtis, who said she was "petrified" of Clifford, described a 2006 altercation when he ordered her to talk less loudly. Prosecutor Mary Weisgerber compared him to "a dog marking his territory." Clifford, a former police officer who represented himself, said he only wanted "to get to work as peacefully as possible." The incident that led to the court case began when Clifford complained that Nicholas Bender, 19, was talking too loudly on his cell phone. Weisgerber said Bender had just learned a cousin had kidney failure. A woman who offered Bender her business card said Clifford tried to grab it and struck her on the hand.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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