Onset Crime Watch head George Coleman was acquitted of assault and battery charges on Monday that stemmed from a parking dispute in Onset last summer.

The case was heard by Wareham District Court Judge Thomas Barrett, who returned a “not guilty” verdict, arguing that the State failed to provide proof that Coleman intended to assault and batter - essentially 'beat' - Pamela Miller when the two were arguing over a parking ticket.

The incident became a cause-celebre for both supporters and opponents of the volunteer crime fighters group - and ended up as the centerpiece of a front-page Wall Street Journal story on such groups.

“One of the elements of the offense, since it was a criminal charge, was that it has to demonstrate criminal intent,” said Attorney Leonard Bello, of Bello and Bello law firm in Wareham, who represented Coleman. “The court was not satisfied that this was met.”

Coleman took the stand in his own defense, something that Bello said was planned from the beginning of the case.

“Mr. Coleman very much wanted the opportunity to take the stand and tell what really happened,” Bello said. "He maintained his innocence from the beginning, he had an opportunity to have a trial, and he was found not guilty.”

According to testimony, Coleman issued a ticket to Miller for parking in a spot behind the Onset bandshell for a free, lunchtime concert.

Miller testified that she became increasingly angry when Coleman refused to give his name and took pictures of the car. She said that he drove into her as she tried to block his exit from the parking lot.

According to Bello, Coleman admitted on the witness stand that he failed to give his name, which he said, in hindsight, was a mistake. He testified that he took a single picture of the vehicle. He also ackowledged that he called Miller “stupid” and “a retard,” but said that took place when Miller “sidestepped” in front of the car while he tried to manuever around her.

“At that point he got out of the car and said, 'are you stupid or retarded trying to jump in front of the car,' or something to that effect,” Bello said.

Coleman had originally insisted on a jury trial, but decided on a bench trial at the last minute. Bello said that Coleman wanted the issue tried on May 3 and not to worry about  prolonging the trial.

“I believe the results would have been the same either way” Bello said.

Assistant District Attorney Bridget Norton Middleton said “we were disappointed with the verdict, but we respect the court's decision.”

The issue of whether the car actually struck Miller remains inconclusive. Miller testified that it did while Coleman maintained on the witness stand that he never hit anybody with the car. Bello said that there was no physical evidence that proved that the car hit Miller.

“I was pretty satisfied that no car was ever driven into her, but it depends who you ask,” said Bello.

“The Commonwealth has to prove that, beyond a reasonable doubt, there was intentional touching with a dangerous weapon,” Norton Middleton said. “The judge's comments seemed to focus on whether the touching was intentional.”

Neither Coleman nor Miller could immediately be reached for comment.

The Wareham Police Department has unveiled a Citizens Participation Program for the summer that will allow citizens and police officers to collaborate on fighting crime.  It will be headed by Sgt. Jim Walcek and Sgt. Kevin Walsh.

Community volunteers will be trained to work with officers in the station to assist visitors with directions, finding records, and other non-emergency tasks.  They will also be trained to provide coverage for special events that would normally require officers to work overtime.   This will free up officers to spend more time in the community and patrolling the streets.