Trooper Robert Zink, of the Shaftsbury Barracks, has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of simple assault. His lawyer, David Sleigh, said they’ve been ready for a jury trial for months.
Perry Thompson, 49, was arrested nearly seven years ago at the state Agency of Education’s central office, where he worked at the time as an administrative assistant to the agency secretary and to the State Board of Education.
Seth Brunell, who is charged with second-degree murder in the April stabbing of a transgender Vermonter, will continue to be held without bail after a judge rejected his attorney’s request that he be released into the custody of a friend.
Heroin and crack cocaine fueled violence in the Highgate home at the center of the case, according to testimony in the sentencing hearings for Erika Guttilla and her mother, Carmen Guttilla. They were each ordered to serve at least 10 years in prison in the shooting death of Troy Ford.
William Pine, former Orange County deputy sheriff, was found guilty Thursday on two counts of aggravated assault for firing shots into a Jeep he tailed during a 2019 road rage incident in Williamstown.
Seth Brunell, who is facing a second-degree murder charge in the April 12 killing of Fern Feather, is being held without bail at the Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury.
The rulings follow a hearing earlier this month in which the defendants, who have now had the cases against them dismissed, testified about the effect of waiting so long for a trial has had on their lives, creating anxiety as well as embarrassment.
An engineering report found the HVAC system is sufficient when combined with other protocols. But a top judiciary official says the question is how to square required protocols with court proceedings.
The ruling in Orleans County stated that such depositions would take officials away from “rebooting” criminal trials and create further delays that are at the heart of a defense attorney’s complaint.
A defense attorney is seeking to question the judiciary’s brass about why no progress has been made in holding jury trials for defendants in the Northeast Kingdom jurisdiction. The county’s top prosecutor says she wants answers, too.
Erika Guttilla is charged with the first-degree murder of 35-year-old Troy Ford in May 2018, whose body was found in the woods. Her mother, Carmen Guttilla, is charged with aiding in the commission of first-degree murder.
‘I don't think there’s any question that their performance in this case fell well below the minimum standards that apply to lawyers in this area,’ the plaintiff’s lawyer said.
A lawsuit has been brought by the estate of Joshua Bittner, 26, of Fairfax, who hanged himself March 2, 2017, in the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport.
Chief DiSanto, currently on administrative leave, said he was disappointment by the vote and defended his work.
