Featured VT News Stories:
Judge Steadfast About Sex Offender Case
LISA RATHKE
13 Nov 2006 12:00 am
A judge who was widely vilified when he sentenced a sex offender to two months in jail said the case has been the highlight of his career.
Vermont District Court Judge Edward Cashman said the case enabled him to remain firm in his belief that the sentence was legal and that sentences must be concerned with more than just punishment.
"I think one of the risks a judge has to take is knowing that when you make a difficult decision it very well may be misunderstood," he said in an interview Sunday. "And then comes the real hard part: You gotta remain quiet."
Cashman had been berated by lawmakers, editorial writers and national cable news commentators for imposing the minimum sentence on Mark Hulett, who had been convicted for repeated sexual assaults on a young girl. The judge said the short sentence was the best way to get Hulett the sex offender treatment he needed.
State corrections officials later changed their policy for treating sex offenders, allowing Hulett to get treatment while in prison and prompting Cashman to increase the sentence to a three-year minimum.
Some critics who thought the original sentence was too short suggested that the judge had said he didn't believe in punishment. But a court transcript showed that Cashman said, "punishment is not enough."
"If there's any lesson that would be applicable judiciary-wise, (it) is the print media will straighten it out," Cashman said Sunday. "They will straighten it out given enough time, which is exactly what happened. And there was a big huge record for the public to take a look at. I feel very fortunate. I look at it as the highlight of my career … That you could stand up for something that was right."
Wanted: A few good men
Christian Avard
27 Oct 2006 12:00 am
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is coming to an end, but 2006 will be remembered as tragic one.
In January, Frankie Niles was charged with murdering his girlfriend Tina Fontaine of Albany after he overheard her on the phone telling a friend she was about to dump him.
In August, Christopher Williams allegedly murdered his ex-girlfriend’s mother Linda Lambesis of Essex after his former girlfriend - Andrea Lambesis - ended a stormy relationship. According to police, Williams tracked Andrea down to the elementary school where she worked, allegedly killing her co-worker Alicia Shanks and wounding another, Mary Snedeker. After an altercation with his friend Chad Johansen, Williams allegedly shot Johansen and was arrested by Essex police when he apparently tried, and failed, to kill himself.
And recently, a University of Vermont student named Michelle Gardner-Quinn was walking home after a night out with friends. Five days later, her body was found alongside a road in Richmond. The last man seen with her was Brian Rooney, a man with a long history of sex offense charges. He is now being held without bail at Northeast Regional Correctional Facility in St. Johnsbury on un-related sex charges and has not been charged in Gardner-Quinn’s death, but remains a prime suspect in the murder, according to police.
While communities are coming together to discuss the tragedy, much of it has focused on how women can keep themselves safe. While safety on college campuses is important, a critical element has been left out, say some experts, and that’s gender violence.
From 1974 to 2004, 76.5 percent of homicide victims and 88.7 percent of offenders were men according to Bureau of Justice Statistics. Although there were no domestic violence-related homicides in Vermont in 2005, state statistics indicate that 9 out of 10 murders and 233 out of 243 forcible sex offenses were committed by men in 2005.
In a recent Common Dreams website article, “Coverage of ‘School Shooting’ Avoids the Central Issue,” anti-violence educator Jackson Katz said a recent forum held by Pres. George W. Bush, which brought together experts specializing in education and law enforcement to discuss “the nature” of the shootings in Colorado and Pennsylvania, missed the point.
“Incredibily, few if any prominent voices in the media have called the incidents what they are: hate crimes perpetrated by men against defenseless young girls, who were targeted for sexual assault and murder precisely because they are girls. For us to have any hope of truly preventing not only extreme acts of gender violence … we need to have this conversation,” aruged Katz.
Judge criticized for short sentence imposed on repeat sex offender is retiring
The Associated Press
01 Sep 2006 11:14 am
A judge who sparked outrage when he sentenced a sex offender to two months in jail said Friday he will retire.
Vermont District Court Judge Edward Cashman didn't mention the case that had made him a target of heated criticism from lawmakers, editorial writers and national cable news commentators.
In January, he imposed the short sentence on Mark Hulett, 34, who had been convicted for repeated sexual assaults on a young girl.
Cashman, 63, said the short sentence was the best way to get Hulett the sex offender treatment he needed. But he drew fire from Gov. Jim Douglas and others who called him soft on child predators and demanded his resignation.
State corrections officials later changed their policy for treating sex offenders, allowing Hulett to get treatment while in prison and prompting Cashman to increase the sentence to a three-year minimum.
State Sen. Vincent Illuzzi said Friday he would have fought to keep Cashman on the bench had the judge not opted to step down, saying the Hulett sentence had a beneficial result.
"Taking the long view, he brought about much needed, constructive change to the need for an effective sex-offender treatment in the (prisons)," said Illuzzi, who is also the state's attorney in Essex County.
Police seek info on alleged rape
NEAL GOSWAMI
04 Aug 2006 12:00 am
The Bennington Police Department is seeking information from the community about an alleged sexual assault that occurred early Sunday morning.
Detective Peter Urbanowicz said a girl has alleged that she was forcibly raped by two men after she got into a vehicle with them. The incident is believed to have happened between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m.
Urbanowicz said the girl was picked up near Beech and South Branch streets. She told police she was held down in the back seat of a car by one man while the other one raped her. She was then driven to South Stream Road, where she was left on the side of the road. She was picked up by police and transported to the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.
Police are asking that anyone with information contact Urbanowicz at 442-1030.
Accused predator makes plea deal
Alan J. Keays
01 Aug 2006 12:00 am
A Rutland man arrested earlier this year on charges of using a computer in an attempt to lure a 13-year-old girl has resolved a case against him for failing to register as a sex offender.
Larry Lizotte, 47, pleaded guilty Monday in Rutland District Court to the misdemeanor charge of failing to properly register as a sex offender.
He was sentenced to 160 days behind bars, roughly the same amount of time he has already served for lack of bail since his arrest on charge in April. He was given credit for time served.
However, Lizotte isn't expected to go free any time soon.
That's because he's still facing several charges in Grand Isle District Court stemming from an arrest in April in that county.
Child Molester Sentenced
Brian Joyce
18 Jul 2006 12:00 am
A Washington County man was sentenced today for what the county prosecutor calls one of the worst sex crimes he has ever seen.
The victim is a boy who was sexually abused two to three times a week for nearly two years -- and it started when he was just nine years old.
"He videotaped sexual acts between himself and the victim," said Craig Nolan, Washington County Prosecutor, as he detailed the litany of sexual abuse a young boy suffered at the hands of Casey Langlois, 26, at Langlois' sentencing hearing Tuesday.
The victim, now 13, was in the courtroom but rushed out as the list of crimes grew longer and more bizarre.
"The defendant engaged in bondage of the victim using zip ties and he blames that on the victim," said Nolan to the judge.
Child Molester's Plea Deal Outrages Victim's Mother
Brian Joyce
10 Jul 2006 12:00 am
A proposed 60-day prison sentence for a confessed child molester has the victim's mother outraged. Monday, she asked the judge to reject the proposal that she calls an insult.
The controversy comes seven months after a Vermont judge triggered national controversy when he sentenced a confessed child molester to 60 days in prison. Once the state changed its corrections policy, he later increased the sentence to at least three years.
This time, it is a prosecutor that is calling for a 60-day sentence for a confessed child molester -- and the victim's mother is furious. At issue is the sentence for James Campbell, 46. Monday in court, he admitted that he sexually abused a 10-year-old boy three years ago. He initially faced charges that carried a potential life sentence, but under the terms of a plea agreement offered by prosecutors, he would get far less.
That simply outraged the victim's mother: "And he would get 18 months to 10 years with everything suspended except 60 days. And that was like a slap in the face to my son. He gave my son a life sentence. He needs to do more."
Time to finalize sex offender sanctions
Vermont lawmakers are just a short compromise away from approving important legislation cracking down on sex offenders who prey on women and children.
With time running out on the 2006 Legislature, both sides must put aside personal and political differences and pass the best pieces of the two bills for Gov. Jim Douglas to sign into law.
Convicted Sex Offender Disappears After Release
A convicted sex offender was missing Friday after being released from prison.
Police said he served 15 years for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Senate passes bill to crack down on sex crimes
People convicted of aggravated sexual assault would go to prison for at least 10 years under a bill expected to receive final approval by the Vermont Senate.
Convicted sex offender charged with targeting girl on Internet
A Rutland man convicted of sexually assaulting a minor has been charged with using a computer to attempt to lure a 13-year-old girl.
Senator greets House sex offender bill with ideas of his own
Sears unrolled a sheaf of ideas last week. In 13 pages of proposed changes to the House bill, the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman tackles broad areas of the issue centered mostly on moving nonviolent offenders out of prison and setting consistent sentences for all crimes.
Justice Denied
Andrew Selva was indicted on a series of rapes involving unspeakable acts with two boys, aged 5 and 12. In a plea deal, Selva was allowed to plead guilty to two counts of sexual battery (not rape, not molestation, as his lawyer quickly points out). Judge John Connor nonetheless labeled Selva a "sexual predator," which is the most severe of the sexual offender categories.
But why, then, did that same judge sentence Selva, not to jail, but to house arrest?
Anatomy of a Smear
It began with an inaccurate local television news report, with the errors repeated by Vermont print and broadcast media. The story was quickly picked up by Internet bloggers and right-wing talk radio and soon reached at least three sensationalist national cable shows. Within a week, bloggers were posting ever more extreme comments, calling for vigilante action against a longtime Vermont judge and posting his home address and phone online.
also archived at:
