Nov 20, 2009 8:37 pm US/Eastern
NY1 Anchor Guilty Of Attempted Assault On Wife
SUFFERN, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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NY1 news anchor Dominic Carter defends his name to CBS 2 after being accused of assaulting his wife last October.
CBS
A NY1 news anchor accused of assault on his wife, despite her claims she was attacked by someone else, has been found guilty of a lesser charge, a judge ruled on Friday.
Dominic Carter, who has covered high-profile political races for the local cable news network for 17 years, was found guilty of third-degree attempted assault by Judge Alan Etelson.
He faces up to three months behind bars.
Carter went on trial late last month, accused of assaulting his wife of 25 years, Marilyn Stevens Carter.
"Domestic violence is a serious, serious problem in our society. I have never put my hands on my wife," Carter told CBS 2 then. "An initial allegation by my wife that is not accurate, as far as I never touched my wife, never have and never will."
Last October, Mrs. Carter called Ramapo police to their home to say her husband assaulted her after an argument over medical treatment for their epileptic son. On the charging sheet she accused the news anchor of punching her, causing minor bleeding, choking her, and kicking her. Under a warning about making false statement, she signed her name, and her husband was charged with assault.
"This is a huge misunderstanding. It's a personal family matter in which there are some issues in my marriage," he said.
On the stand, Mrs. Carter sounded like the kind of dissembling politician her husband puts on the hot seat. She admitted telling cops he assaulted her, but she denied he ever lifted a hand against her.
"My husband's character is on the line, and that's all I have to say. He will be exonerated," she told CBS 2 afterward.
Mrs. Carter had later claimed she was actually assaulted by a "day laborer" who wanted more money for yard work, but she blamed her husband because she was angry at him. The prosecutor called that day laborer a "phantom."
NY1's general manager suspended Carter indefinitely, but there is no word as to whether he will be fired now.
People who work with domestic violence victims say they often become reluctant to take the case to court.
"The victim may start to feel a tremendous amount of guilt that they are responsible for the shame that is being brought on the family through the prosecution and the media attention if there is any," said Amy Siniscalchi of My Sister's Place.
Added Jane Friedman of Pace Law School: "That step of putting him behind bars is a very big step. In many cases because of the need for child support, it's actually contrary to her financial interest to pursue the case."
Carter and his wife also said claims he had a "secret family" and children out of wedlock are not true.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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