NY REPORTER DOMINIC CARTER CONVICTED: Reporter found guilty of attempted assault on his wife.

       Carter, who was political anchor on NY1 until the station found out about the allegations, had been accused of the more serious charge of third-degree assault. His wife, Marilyn Carter, called 911 last year from their home in Pomona and claimed he hit her.       

       Photos presented at trial showed the 52-year-old woman's swollen lip, cut ear and bruised arm and leg. However, she recanted her allegation on the witness stand during Carter's Oct. 29 trial in Suffern, N.Y.      

       In his decision, Ramapo Town Justice Arnold Etelson said he found Marilyn Carter's revised story "nothing short of preposterous." But he also found that she did not sustain "impairment of physical condition or substantial pain" as required for a conviction on the assault charge.      

       Defense attorney Martin Gotkin said Dominic Carter "still maintains his innocence, claims he never did this and he's going to continue fighting this case to vindicate himself. His intention right now is to appeal."      

       In the meantime, he has taken an indefinite leave of absence from NY1, where his nightly "Inside City Hall" program was must-see TV for those in or interested in New York city and state politics, analysts said. On Friday, NY1 spokeswoman Nikia Redhead said, "We are in the process of reviewing the court's decision."      

       Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 14.