LEWISTON —
Joseph Lauzonis, a Lewiston-Porter school teacher, has been found not guilty of a second-degree harassment charge stemming from an argument with his estranged wife more than a year ago.
Lauzonis was acquitted June 2, 2010, in a non-jury trial before New York State Supreme Court Justice Frank Caruso. Details of the trial and previous case documents were sealed after the verdict.
Lauzonis and his wife were involved in a divorce proceeding, and the charge of harassment was filed against him on Jan. 10, 2010.
He first appeared before Caruso on March 15, 2010, and asked for dismissal of the charge. Instead, the judge adjourned the case for one year with the understanding he would dismiss it if Lauzonis stayed out of further legal trouble and did not have contact with his wife.
But Lauzonis filed an objection to Caruso’s order afterward, and the judge agreed to set it aside on May 15, 2010. That resulted in the June 2 trial in which Caruso found him not guilty.
The Gazette reported the March 15 decision but was not aware of the subsequent developments in the case until contacted by Lauzonis. A recent check of the eventual outcome of the case confirmed his statement that he was cleared of the harassment charge.
Because testimony at the trial and the case file were sealed by the court, the Gazette could not determine the basis for Caruso’s change of mind and eventual acquittal.
“The only thing I can guess is the judge felt the evidence in the case did not meet the legal definition of the charge,” said Niagara County District Attorney Michael Violante.
Lauzonis had no comment about how the case unfolded or what occurred at the trial.
“It’s a divorce proceeding,” he said. “I want this to go away.”
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