Wednesday, May 20, 2015

WVTK Local & State News May 20, 2015

A former Rutland city attorney who was convicted of a fatal hit-and-run crash has been denied a new trial. 55-year-old Christopher Sullivan had pleaded not guilty to leaving the scene of the crash in 2013 and driving under the influence with death resulting. The crash killed 71-year-old Mary Jane Outslay. A jury convicted Sullivan back in March. Sullivan's lawyer said he didn't get a fair trial. Judge Theresa DiMauro ruled against a new trial yesterday. Sullivan, who is out on bail, awaits sentencing.

A Randolph woman is being held on ten-thousand-dollars bail after being arrested twice in the same day for heroin. Tara Bent was first arrested Monday morning in Randolph for possession of 70 bags of heroin. After being released from custody, Bent was again arrested in the afternoon in possession of 50 bags of heroin. She will remain at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield until she is able to post bail.

A Rutland man accused of holding his estranged wife hostage for over four years is being held without bail. Michael Jokinen allegedly kept his wife locked in a bedroom with boards over the window until she was able to make her escape in December. Officials say the woman has been in a secure location where Jokinen cannot locate her, which allowed prosecutors to carefully build their case against him.

Vermont is relocating their out of state prison inmates from Arizona and Kentucky to a correctional facility in Michigan. The transfers are expected to take place in the second quarter of this year. Vermont currently houses more than 300 inmates in prisons out of state, and says the transfer will save the state over 600-thousand dollars. The Michigan prison is owned by the GEO Group, a private company which operates more than 100 correctional institutions around the country.

This weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, marks the re-opening of Vermont’s legendary state parks. Vermont’s 52 state parks offer a wide variety of activities such as boating, swimming, fishing, picnicking and hiking and camping experiences, including drive-in campsites, lean-to’s, cabins, cottages, remote campsites, group camping areas, and an inn-style lodge. Every park and site is surrounded by Vermont’s beautiful mountains, lakes, forests and fields. For more information on what each park has to offer, visit VTStateParks.com