A Lockport city alderman’s harassment case will go to a non-jury trial later this month.
Judge William Watson will preside over the non-jury trial of Third Ward Alderman Mark Devine, 70, on July 31.
Devine is facing two counts of second-degree harassment causing alarm or annoyance.
The harassment charges stem from incidents on two dates in April. One of the complainants said Devine, “had his clothes pulled down with his private parts exposed and he was urinating” in his side yard on April 21. The complainant also said during voluntary statements that she was putting her daughter in the car on April 11, while 12 feet away, Devine was urinating in his yard in plain sight.
The other complainant corroborated the story on April 21 and went on further to say that he’d seen Devine urinating outdoors, or “do up his pants three or four times.”
According to other voluntary statements taken by police, Devine had been confronted about the behavior in 2021.
Devine was in court on Monday with his attorney Scott Stopa and a date was quickly set up on the court’s calendar. Stopa noted that the charges against Devine would likely result in fines if the judge declares him guilty. He also said that there was a possibility of up to 15 days in jail, but he did not expect that to happen.
“These are the lowest possible charges they could bring,” Stopa said. “But we are fighting them because we don’t believe they’re true.”
Devine has said he would not comment on the matter as it was “in the legal system.”