BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 58-year-old William J. Collins, Sr. of Lockport was arraigned before Lockport City Judge William J. Watson on one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief.
According to the district attorney's office, Collins allegedly slashed a tire on the passenger side of the victim’s pickup truck outside of a tavern on the 600 block of West Avenue in the City of Lockport on October 26, 2023.
The district attorney's office said in November the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office submitted a petition requesting that the court appoint a special prosecutor to handle the case because Collins currently serves as a Niagara County Legislator.
Collins is scheduled to return on January 10, 2024, for a pre-trial conference and was released on his own recognizance as the charge is a non-qualifying offense for bail. If convicted of the charge, he faces a maximum of one year in jail.
