Brawling state Sen. Kevin Parker was sentenced yesterday to three years’ probation for his attack on a Post photographer, spurring a fellow legislator to call for Albany hearings on possible sanctions.
Parker, who was convicted in December of two counts of criminal mischief for smashing fotog William Lopez’s camera and damaging the lensman’s car, was also ordered to attend anger-management classes, pay a $1,000 fine and make restitution to The Post for the equipment broken in the May 2009 dustup.
“It is what it is,” Parker said outside court. “I’m ready to move on to important things for the state of New York.
Prosecutor Kathleen DiGiovanni asked Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog to send Parker to Rikers Island for a month, adding that despite the pol’s claim that he was getting help, he had “numerous violent actions since starting this alleged counseling.”
The brash Democratic legislator initially faced up to seven years in prison after he was charged with assaulting Lopez in the course of committing a felony.
But a jury cleared Parker of intentionally damaging and attempting to steal Lopez’s camera — felonies that would have meant automatic expulsion from the Senate had he been convicted. Because he was cleared of those felonies, the jury never considered the felony-assault charges.
State Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) said he believes the Senate should hold hearings on Parker’s misdemeanor convictions. The GOP conference is scheduled to consider it today.
“I think that we should have hearings, ethics hearings [to determine] if there should be any sanctions brought against him,” Golden said. “There shouldn’t be two sets of standards, one for [ex-Sen. Hiram] Monserrate and none for Parker.”
Monserrate was booted from office last year after being convicted in October 2009 of assaulting his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo.
But Golden stopped short of recommending expulsion for Parker, who overwhelmingly won his Flatbush district last year as his case was pending.
“On this? Probably not,” Golden said.