DA Expected To Drop Charges Against Brooklyn Community Board District Manager, Attorney Says

BROOKLYN, NY — The attorney for a Brooklyn community board district manager who was arrested twice and charged with stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend says the borough's district attorney's office is planning to drop the charges against her client.

Craig Hammerman returned to work this week at Community Board 6 — a panel that advises the city and state on local issues in Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus and Park Slope — after a lengthy leave of absence following his arrests.

His attorney, Joyce David, told Patch on Friday that his case has been adjourned until Nov. 1, and unless the D.A.'s office notifies the court that it is ready to proceed, the case will be dropped. David said the D.A.'s office has told her they expect the case to be dismissed.

"I expect that it will," she told Patch. "But I've been around too long to have anything be guaranteed."

A spokesperson at the D.A.'s office declined to comment on the case when reached by Patch.

Hammerman has been with the board since 1990 and makes more than $110,000 a year in his post as its only paid member.

In early April, he was arrested after police said he used his ex-girlfriend's Uber account to follow her to a hotel in Bed-Stuy. Then, prosecutors said, he was arrested for breaking a restraining order when he sat next to her at a Park Slope bar. Hammerman turned down a plea deal over the summer in the case.

If the charges against Hammerman are dropped, that doesn't necessarily mean his position as a public servant in the community is safe.

Community Board 6's closed-door finance, personnel and law committee arise reviewing his status with the board. And the city's Law Department is investigating his conduct.

The board's chair, Sayar Lonial, has declined to comment on the review, including to other board members. That has angered some in the community, who think the board should be more forthcoming in its deliberations.

"This remains an internal personnel matter and public comment at present would be inappropriate," Lonial told Patch in an email.

Image: Patch file photo