COURT WATCH: Judge Issues Arrest Warrant on Unhoused Accused 

Licensed under the Unsplash+ License

BURLINGTON, VT – Judge David R. Fenster here in an arraignment hearing Wednesday in Chittenden County Costello Court issued an arrest warrant and set bail for $200 on a failure to appear for an accused, despite the accused experiencing homelessness.

The accused is facing three misdemeanor charges, one for petit larceny under $900 and two for credit card fraud over $50.

After it was determined that the accused was not appearing for their arraignment, public defender David Hindman opened with, “I know for a fact” that the accused is unhoused and struggling to find a stable living situation, asking the court for a daytime warrant on the accused to “account for the struggles (the accused) already has.”

Judge Fenster ruled, “while the court is sympathetic” to the accused’s living situation, but “given the number of failures to appear” an arrest warrant with a bail of $200 is appropriate given the accused’s previous infractions.

Judge Fenster listed the multiple instances of failures to appear while still expressing sympathy toward the accused’s living situation.

Categories:

Breaking News Court Watch

Tags:

Author

  • Abby Stevens

    Abby is a fourth-year Political Science and Environmental Studies student at the University of Vermont, where she is interested in environmental law, criminal justice, and journalism. Throughout her time at UVM, Abby has been an opinion columnist for the student newspaper, the Vermont Cynic. After graduation, Abby plans to continue her work in journalism and media, focusing on legal/political analyses as well as environmental/climate reporting.

    View all posts

Leave a Comment