DURHAM – A University of New Hampshire professor accused of going on an angry, expletive-filled diatribe against a colleague in June has been acquitted of all criminal charges stemming from the incident.

John Collins, 57, of Lee, was found not guilty of stalking, a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a violation, at a trial Tuesday in Durham District Court.

"A finding of not guilty is a vindication that you did not indeed commit the crimes that you were accused of," Collins said yesterday. "It's certainly the best outcome we could've hoped for from the criminal proceedings."

But Collins' troubles are not over yet. On Tuesday, he must face Stacia Sower, the colleague he allegedly ranted against, at a hearing on a restraining order she filed following the original incident.

Collins, an associate professor and then department chair of biochemistry and molecular biology, allegedly became angry and belligerent after receiving a parking ticket June 28 and blamed Sower, the interim associate dean of research.

Colleagues said in a court hearing this summer that Collins allegedly got angry after the ticket, threatened to kill Sower and kicked a trash can.

Sower, who was not there for the alleged outburst, filed the restraining order the next day.

Sower did not return calls for comment yesterday.

After the incident, Collins was banned from campus and stripped of his department chair title, orders that remain in effect, and charged with the two crimes.

"A ruling on the criminal charges doesn't affect the university's position on Professor Collins' status," University System of New Hampshire General Counsel Ronald Rodgers said yesterday.

A hearing on Sower's restraining order was originally held in early August, lasting more than three hours with testimony from seven witnesses before it had to be continued.

Collins said he's hopeful that with the acquittals this week the restraining order will not be continued.

"We're confident that even without the verdict in the criminal charges, but certainly with that as a bolster to our case, that there's no basis for a restraining order," he said. "What remains is to get back on campus and back to my career."