Lido Beach man acquitted of felony charge, court papers say

A Nassau judge has acquitted a Lido Beach resident of a felony charge after his 2018 arrest that police said followed a confrontation with a customer while delivering plants to the man’s Rockville Centre home.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Robert Bogle on Tuesday found Eric Grossman, 56, not guilty of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, according to a written verdict.

Grossman’s attorney, Robert Schalk, provided the record to Newsday. The case will be sealed because it ended in Grossman’s favor.

Bogle presided in Grossman’s bench trial last month after his earlier trial in 2019 ended in a mistrial when the jury couldn’t reach a verdict.

Nassau police had alleged in June 2018 that Grossman ran over the customer with his truck after the two argued when the man confronted him for refusing to provide a receipt for $600 in plants. Police also alleged Grossman fled and the 45-year-old customer went to a hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

"He maintained his innocence from day one," Schalk said Thursday of his client. "… Judge Bogle granted what we believe was the correct decision and acquitted him."

Nassau District Attorney’s Office spokesman Brendan Brosh said prosecutors "respect the verdict."