A white-haired Long Island politician who allegedly socked a political rival during a closed-door government meeting stood stone-faced in court Tuesday as he dodged an order of protection against his colleague.
Thomas Lohmann, 68, pleaded not guilty to charges he attacked fellow Smithtown Town Board member Thomas McCarthy, also 68, during an April 7 meeting — with Judge Alonzo Jacobs rejecting a request from the alleged victim for the protective order.
“Councilman Lohmann maintains his innocence — the facts will come out at trial,” his attorney Philip Branigan told reporters outside of district court in Central Islip.
The judge noted the two had worked together as colleagues for nearly a decade at this point and he didn’t believe Lohmann was a threat.
McCarthy had accused his colleague of losing his cool after a public session and punching him in the jaw during a heated executive session inside Smithtown Town Hall.
Smithtown Town Board member Lisa Inzerillo, who was in the room during the kerfuffle, backed-up Lohmann and called McCarthy “the boy who cried wolf” in comments to The Post — but declined to answer if she saw Lohmann strike McCarthy.
“The truth is just around the corner,” she said
The rival politicians allegedly started arguing over a legal matter during the closed-door session in early April — though prosecutors didn’t detail what sparked the dust-up.
Lohmann then allegedly hopped out of his seat and quickly ran up on McCarthy as he was speaking, pushing him and delivering a haymaker to the left side of his jaw, prosecutors said.
A video of the aftermath showed McCarthy angrily confronting Lohmann.
Prosecutors told Judge Jacobs that they have not finished collecting witness statements or even reviewing and obtaining surveillance footage from the incident.
But they did say McCarthy was treated at the hospital that same night for injuries consistent with the allegations against Lohmann, and noted officials have obtained police body cam footage they said back up the charges from the officers at the scene.
Lohmann was charged with misdemeanor assault, which is not bail eligible under state laws. He was released on his own accord.
The councilman — who was absent from the first town meeting on April 23 after his arrest — is due back in court on June 10.
