Farmingdale Village Mayor Joseph Trudden pleaded not guilty earlier this week to an assault charge stemming from an October incident where he confronted a boy skateboarding outside McCourt and Trudden Funeral Home on Main Street in Farmingdale.

Back in October, while a funeral was taking place at the funeral home, Trudden confronted a 16-year-old boy who was skateboarding outside the building on the handicap ramp. Trudden came out after the female funeral director had asked the boy and his friends to leave the premises, and the boy allegedly began cursing and yelling at her, bringing her to tears. According to Trudden, this prompted him to come out, and tell the boy not to talk to a lady like that and ask them to leave. He said that the boy continued to speak in vulgarities.

Úquot;I didn't do anything wrong,Úquot; Trudden said of the incident. Úquot;I walked out and they started cursing at me. I took his skateboard, I was going to have him call his parents and tell them to pick him up and he kept on screaming at me. This is in the middle of a funeral, with people going in and out of the door. [These kids] are literally going down the ramp at 30 miles an hour.Úquot;

Trudden added that he often sees kids skateboarding on the ramp outside the funeral home and most of the time they are respectful when asked to leave.

Úquot;Most of those kids are fine, I have no problem with them,Úquot; Trudden said. Úquot;But this one kid was just out of line, [he was] destroying the property. He said to give back the skateboard and I flipped it to him like I would flip a set of car keys and he didn't catch it.Úquot; Trudden added that the boy immediately called out, laughing, Úquot;I'm going to sue you,Úquot; and ran off. Trudden said that two days later, the parents had a lawyer who called the village attorney, Patrick Mielo, and told him that they would drop the case if the village paid them $25,000. Úquot;I'm not going to be held hostage for ransom,Úquot; Trudden said. Úquot;You know, when you're a public official, this stuff happens once in awhile. It's part of the job, that's what happens,Úquot; he said, noting that he certainly doesn't need the publicity.

Trudden added that he and Mielo feel that the boy's parents are attempting to extort money from the village, but they are not willing to settle. The boy's attorney stated earlier this week that no law suit has been filed.

Trudden was arraigned on Tuesday on third degree assault, a crime punishable by up to a year in jail. He was released by District Court Judge Valerie Bullard, without setting bail, after signing an order of protection preventing him from having any contact with the boy. Trudden was ordered to appear in court again in March.