A man who terrorised an upstate New York neighbourhood while wearing a clown mask and wielding a chainsaw has been convicted of two felony charges.
The 35-year-old was found guilty by a jury in Albany County Court of first-degree menacing and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, stemming from the May 1 incident in Cohoes.
He is scheduled for sentencing on February 6, where he faces a potential prison term of two to seven years.
Lee Kindlon, the county's district attorney, said the man was seen on surveillance video footage walking in the neighborhood wearing the clown mask and a football jersey and carrying a red chain saw in the mid-afternoon.
A local resident confronted the masked man, who pulled a plastic sheath off the chain saw and raised it in a threatening manner, Kindlon said. During a fight, the resident subdued the man until police arrived, the prosecutor said. Officers also found metal knuckles on the man, he said.
The jury returned guilty verdicts after a two-day trial and two hours of deliberation, Kindlon said. The defendant did not testify, and the defense did not call any witnesses.
The man and his public defender did not immediately return text and phone messages left at listings for them Wednesday evening.
Prosecutors called four witnesses to the stand and showed the video clip of the man.
