ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) – An Albany man who wore a clown mask while carrying a chainsaw on the streets of Cohoes, New York, was found guilty of two felony charges on Wednesday.
On the afternoon of May 1, 2025, Craig Wolcott was filmed walking through a neighborhood in Cohoes wearing the clown mask and brandishing the power tool.
“I was walking my mom out to the car,” local resident Natalie Gwinn previously told NewsNation local affiliate WTEN. “She was going to pick up my daughter from school, and I saw a dude in a blue sports jersey in a clown mask walking down the street. It was a little weird, but I kind of rolled my eyes and ignored it.”
Wolcott, 35, was soon confronted by a neighbor, at which point they began to argue and Wolcott unsheathed a chainsaw and raised it in a threatening manner, according to prosecutors.
The two men fought, and the resident subdued Wolcott until police arrived to arrest him. Wolcott was later found to also be in possession of metal knuckles, authorities said.
The trial lasted two days and included surveillance footage and four witness testimonies. Wolcott was ultimately convicted of first-degree menacing and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the May 1 incident. He faces a possible prison sentence of two to seven years.
Wolcott is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 6.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.