GREAT KILLS — An assistant principal accused of stabbing his ex-wife's former lover was indicted for assault on Wednesday, prosecutors said.
Vincent Scotto, 44, was hit with a five-count indictment for assault and attempted assault for allegedly stabbing a 59-year-old man at the Evergreens Shopping Plaza in June, according to the Staten Island District Attorney's office.
On June 4, the victim was sitting in his car inside the plaza's parking lot when Scotto, an assistant principal at P.S. 22, walked up to the driver's side window and stabbed him several times with a razor blade attached to a stick, authorities said.
The victim was taken to an area hospital and received staples and stitches for his injuries, prosecutors said.
The victim had a long-term affair with Scotto's wife while the two were married, a law enforcement source said.
Scotto's lawyer, Joseph Mure Jr., said his client denies stabbing the victim, who stalked Scotto's family for nearly three years before the incident.
"He has stalked them, he has followed them and he’s terrorized them," Mure said. "He would come by their house in the middle of the night, he would yell, he would scream, he’d do damage, he’d break windows on their vehicles.
"You’re going to see the type of person [the victim] really is and he’s not a nice man," Mure added.
Mure couldn't say why the victim started to stalk Scotto and his family, but the New York Post reported it happened after Scotto's wife broke off the affair.
Scotto is free on $2,500 bail and had to surrender his passport, the DA said.
He's worked for P.S. 22 since 2004 and was made an assistant principal in 2007, the Department of Education previously said.
"This individual has been reassigned away from the school and he will remain reassigned pending the resolution of this criminal case," DOE spokeswoman Devora Kaye said in a statement after Scotto's arrest.
Mure added that Scotto has received support from the community, many of whom packed the courtroom on Wednesday for his arraignment.
"As this case goes on you’re going to see the support and love that people of Staten Island have for Vincent Scotto," Mure said.
