Source: New York Daily News, Associated Press via Newsday, New York Times
Hot-tempered Philadelphia ex-anchor Alycia Lane got some good news Monday when prosecutors let her off the hook for smacking a cop.

The out-of-work anchorwoman from the City of Brotherly Love no longer faces felony assault charges for a December run-in with a female cop she called a "[expletive] dyke."

"I'm just so glad it's over," a smiling Lane said outside Manhattan Criminal Court.

An organization for gay police officers isn't nearly so happy about the legal wrangling.

The New York City Region of the Gay Officers Action League said Wednesday it was "outraged and deeply concerned" that prosecutors downgraded the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. The judge said the charge would be dismissed if Alycia Lane is not arrested in the next six months.

The decision not to prosecute Lane on the original charge, the group said, sends a "disturbing message" to the public.

"If people cannot control their anger and hatred and choose to confront and injure a police officer, then what chance does the everyday citizen have of expecting a general sense of personal safety in our city?" the league's executive director, Thomas Verni, said in a statement.

Philadelphia's CBS affiliate canned Lane, 35, after her latest off-camera episode, which followed a high-profile misadventure in which she e-mailed sexy bikini shots of herself to married NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen.

The charge stems from a Dec. 16, 2007, altercation.

Lane was busted after a night out with her radio jock boyfriend Chris Booker. Police said she climbed out of a cab in Chelsea to confront two plainclothes cops in a slow-moving car.

Lane made homophobic remarks to the cops and and struck one of them in the face, according to the original criminal complaint in the case.

Lane placed a camera against one police officer’s face. The complaint charged that as the other officer, Bernadette Enchautegui, grabbed Lane’s arm to move it away from her colleague, Ms. Lane said she was a reporter and cursed at and scratched the officer.

She was originally charged with felony assault, but prosecutors said the injury to the cop's face - several scratches - wasn't serious enough.

Lane will face lower charges of obstruction of governmental administration and harassment. The charges will be dropped if Lane stays out of trouble for the next six months. She has served a day of community service at Project Hope, a charity that helps the homeless.

In an impromptu news conference on the courthouse steps, her lawyer David Smith said he expected the case against Ms. Lane to be completely dismissed, “with the arrest and prosecution being a nullity as if they never existed.” He said he was “confident that as this goes forward, Alycia will succeed in her life.”

"This case will end in a dismissal with no admission of guilt," he said. "She has admitted to nothing."

Full article: Philadephia TV anchor off hook in felony assault rap over 'dyke' cop | New York Daily News
After Facing Accusations, News Anchor Walks Free | New York Times
Gay NY Officers Criticize TV Anchor Case | Newsday (AP)