Vermont Forcible Entry Law
<h2> <center> United States of America v. Anthony Hamel </h2> </center>
Burlington, Vermont, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with possession of child porn. Anthony Hamel, 25, of Cowansville, Quebec, Canada, applied to enter the United States from Canada at the Morses Line Port of Entry (POE) on May 9, 2025. Based on his responses to screening questions, Hamel was referred to a secondary inspection by the Customs and Border Protection Offic... More...
$ (03-20-2026 - VT)<h1> United States of America v. Christopher Boisvert, Meghan Cox </h1></h1>
<font color="red"><b><h2><center> Burlington, Vermont criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendants charged with armed bank robbery </font/color="red"></b></center></i></i><b><center></i><br> <b> </b> New Hampshire Couple Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges For 2024 Crime Spree</h2></center></b></b></center></b><br> <br> <center><br> <h1><br> Sponsored By <br> <a href="http://www.morelaw... More...
$0 (06-18-2025 - VT)State of Vermont v. John Grega
Brattleboro, Vermont Defendant John Grega, age 32, was charged with rape and murder.<br> <br> Grega was accused of killing his 31-year-od Wife Christine in the bathtub of a condo where the couple were vacationing on September 12, 1994.<br> <br> According to the Supreme Court of Vermont:<br> <br> "Defendant, a resident of New York, drove to Vermont on September 10, 1994, for a vacation with his wif... More...
$0 (08-04-1995 - VT)United States of America v. Victor Francisco Lopez-Padilla
Burlington, Vermont criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with human-smuggling and bringing a migrant without legal status to the United States for the purpose of private financial gain. <br> <br> Victor Francisco Lopez-Padilla, age 35, of Trenton, New Jersey and Simon Jacinto-Ramos, a resident of Montreal, worked together to bring migrants to, and smuggle them into, the United S... More...
$0 (08-25-2023 - VT)United States of America v. Carleena Graham
Burlington, Vermont criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with wire fraud.<br> <br> On May 31, 2023, the United States filed a one count information charging Carleena Graham, 56, of Accokeek, Maryland, with wire fraud. The defendant pleaded guilty to that charge today. According to the information, the victim, World Learning, is a non-profit global development and exchange organiz... More...
$0 (06-30-2023 - VT)United States of America v. Jose Alvarez
Burlington, Vermont criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with conspiracy to transport foreign nationals n furtherance of their illegal entry into the United States.<br> <table><br> <h1><br> <center><br> <P><br> <img width="300" src="http://www.morelawtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Burlington_VT-Fed.jpg" alt="Federal Courthouse - Burlington, Vermont"><br> <P><br> Federal Courtho... More...
$0 (03-23-2023 - VT)Cheryl Rousseau and Peter Rousseau v. John Boyd Coates, III
Burlington, Vermont personal injury lawyers represented Plaintiffs, who sued Defendant on medical malpractice theories claiming to have suffered more than $75,000 in damages and/or injuries as a direct result of substandard medical care provided by Dr. John Boyd Coates, M.D.<br> <br> The Plaintiffs claimed that DNA evidence showed that Dr. Coates used his own sperm to impregnate Cheryl Rousseau.<b... More...
$5250000 (04-07-2022 - VT)United States of America v. Salmen Hernandez-Ayala
Burlington, VT - Mexican Man Sentenced for Alien Smuggling<br> <br> Salmen Hernandez-Ayala, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced on September 10, 2018 in United States District Court in Burlington for transporting three illegal aliens within the United States. United States District Judge Christina Reiss sentenced Hernandez-Ayala to time served. Hernandez-Ayala has been in custody since his ar... More...
$0 (09-10-2018 - VT)United States of America v. Zein Diaz-Ventura
Rutland, VT - Mexican Man Sentenced for Unlawfully Reentering the United States<br> <br> The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont and the Swanton Sector Office of the United States Border Patrol announce that Zein Diaz-Ventura, 27, a citizen of Mexico, was convicted and sentenced on July 17, 2018 in United States District Court in Rutland for reentering the United States after having... More...
$0 (07-22-2018 - VT)State of Vermont v. Aaron Cady <table> <td>
Defendant was convicted of his first DUI in 2006. In March 2012, defendant was <br> convicted of DUI-2 following entry of a guilty plea. The 2012 plea colloquy for the DUI-2 <br> included the following exchange: <br> <br> [THE COURT:] What the State says you did is that, on November 4th of 2011, at Lyndon, [you] operated a motor vehicle, specifically a Jeep Wrangler, on a public highway, tha... More...
$0 (06-28-2018 - VT)State of Vermont v. Jack Sawyer <table> <td>
Defendant Jack Sawyer appeals the trial court’s decision holding him without bail. Defendant is charged with four separate counts, each predicated on his alleged attempt to commit a crime, and three of which are punishable by life imprisonment. The sole question before this Court is whether the evidence of guilt is great that defendant attempted to commit any of the four charged crimes given t... More...
$0 (04-28-2018 - VT)State of Vermont v. Christian Allis
The facts as found by the trial court in defendant’s civil suspension hearing may be <br> summarized as follows. On October 5, 2015, a St. Albans police officer responded to a report of <br> a motor vehicle crash at a parking lot in St. Albans. Upon arrival at the scene, the officer observed <br> a pickup truck in a ditch near a telephone pole and tire marks in the gravel that suggested the <b... More...
$0 (11-03-2017 - VT)United States of America v. Paulo Abelha
Burlington, VT - Portuguese National Sentenced For Reentering United States<br> <br> Paulo Abelha, 49, a citizen of Portugal, pleaded guilty to an indictment which charges him with reentering the United States after having been twice deported. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss sentenced Abelha to time served. Abelha has been held without bail since his arrest last August. Custody of Abelh... More...
$0 (12-02-2016 - VT)<b>State of Vermont Supreme Court v. Joshua Anderson (Eastern Bail Bond Agency, Inc.) </ center></b>
The underlying facts are not disputed. On August 5, 2013, defendant was arraigned <br> on a charge of possessing stolen property. Defendant was ordered to provide the court with a <br> surety bond or cash in the amount of $5000. Defendant’s conditions of release also required him <br> to come to court for scheduled hearings and to provide his attorney and the court with his updated <br> addre... More...
$0 (12-17-2016 - VT)State of Vermont v. Amy Koenig
On January 22, 2014 at about 6:30 p.m., the Vermont State Police received a tip <br> from an identified caller about the erratic operation of a motor vehicle in the Town of Bethel. <br> The caller provided the vehicle’s license plate number, which the State Police used to identify <br> the registered owner and her address. The arresting trooper parked on South Main Street in front <br> of the ... More...
$0 (06-07-2016 - vT)State of Vermont v. Willy Levitt
Defendant was convicted of simple assault in a jury trial in <br> December 2014 and placed on probation. He requests that this Court reverse his conviction and <br> remand for a new trial because the trial court improperly defined reasonable doubt for the jury, <br> thus lowering the standard of proof. In the alternative, he raises three arguments regarding his <br> probation conditions: (1) tha... More...
$0 (05-29-2016 - VT)State of Vermont v. David G. Buckley
Defendant’s claims of error require a detailed review of the evidence presented at <br> trial. The incident giving rise to these charges transpired on May 17, 2014, on defendant’s <br> property in Bennington, Vermont. The property is located across the street from the police <br> station, and it is bisected by two public roads. Defendant lives on the property with his brother, <br> Peter Bu... More...
$0 (05-29-2016 - VT)State of Vermont v. James Anderson
On September 18, 2003, defendant was convicted of sexual assault of a minor in <br> violation of 13 V.S.A. § 3252(a). He received a sentence of nineteen to twenty years, all <br> suspended except eleven years. The sentencing court indicated that the split sentence was <br> intended to deliver a “severe sanction” while giving defendant an option to make good on what <br> he claimed was remor... More...
$0 (04-22-2016 - VT)State of Vermont v. Sergio Mendez
Defendant is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who lived and worked legally in <br> Massachusetts as a permanent resident of the United States. In June 2013, he pleaded guilty to <br> one charge of felony domestic assault stemming from a May 2013 incident in which he <br> attempted to strangle his girlfriend at her home in Rutland, Vermont. Defendant signed a written <br> plea agreement prior ... More...
$0 (03-02-2016 - VT)State of Vermont v. Michael Rosenfield
In 2005 and 2008, defendant was convicted of two DUIs that occurred while he <br> was eighteen and twenty-one years old, respectively. In February 2014, defendant pleaded guilty <br> to a DUI-3, which occurred when he was twenty-seven years old. Because he had previously <br> been convicted of two DUIs, defendant was subject to enhanced penalties. See 23 V.S.A. <br> § 1210(d) (“A person con... More...
$0 (03-02-2016 - VT)State of Vermont v. Sergio Mendez
Defendant is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who lived and worked legally in <br> Massachusetts as a permanent resident of the United States. In June 2013, he pleaded guilty to <br> one charge of felony domestic assault stemming from a May 2013 incident in which he <br> attempted to strangle his girlfriend at her home in Rutland, Vermont. Defendant signed a written <br> plea agreement prior ... More...
$0 (02-28-2016 - VT)State of Vermont v. James Careau
Defendant challenges his sentence and a special condition of <br> probation imposed following a guilty plea for sexual assault of a minor. On appeal, defendant <br> argues that probation condition 43, which gives his probation officer unbridled authority over <br> where defendant lives and works, is overbroad, as well as that the trial court erred as a matter of <br> law in finding defendant woul... More...
$0 (02-13-2016 - VT)State Of Vermont v. Anthony Gotavaskas / State v. Grant S. Bercik
During the summer of 2013, defendant Gotavaskas was charged with burglary of <br> an occupied dwelling in one docket and providing false information and operation without the <br> owner’s consent in a second docket. At his arraignment on September 10, 2013, Gotavaskas <br> raised the issue of his competency and the trial court ordered a competency evaluation pursuant <br> to 13 V.S.A. § 4814. ... More...
$0 (02-08-2016 - VT)State of Vermont v. Peter A. Goewey
Defendant and the State entered a plea agreement, in exchange for which the <br> charge was amended and other charges against defendant were dismissed. The plea agreement <br> contemplated a contested sentencing hearing allowing the State to argue for a sentence of up to <br> forty years to life to serve and defendant to argue for a sentence of ten years to life, split to serve <br> five years. ... More...
$0 (02-08-2016 - VT)United States v. Allen
The facts are not in dispute. On July 25 or 26, 2012, the Springfield,<br> Vermont Police Department received a written complaint that on July 23, John<br> Johnston had been assaulted by a man known to him only as “D.J.” A<br> Springfield police officer interviewed Johnston on July 26, and based on that<br> interview, and the officer’s ... More...
$0 (01-31-2016 - VT)In re: Joseph Bruyette
This motion calls upon us to consider whether we should adopt the “prison mailbox rule” and hold that a notice of appeal is deemed filed for purposes of Vermont Rule of Appellate Procedure 4 when an unrepresented incarcerated inmate delivers it to <br> the prison authorities for forwarding to the court clerk. Houston v. Lack, 487 U.S. 266, 276 <br> (1988). We previously dismissed petitioner�... More...
$0 (01-09-2016 - VT)State Of Vermont v. Joshua Blow
Defendant appeals the trial court’s December 29, 2014 decision to deny bail and its October 14, 2015 decision to deny home detention. We affirm. On July 25, 2014, the State charged defendant with second degree murder of A.H. in violation of 13 V.S.A. § 2301. Defendant was arraigned on that date and ordered held without bail pursuant to 13 V.S.A. § 7553. The evidence supporting probable cau... More...
$0 (01-06-2016 - VT)State Of Vermont v. William O. Stanley, Sr.
Defendant William O. Stanley, Sr., appeals his conviction of sexual assault. On appeal, defendant argues that the trial court (1) erroneously permitted the trial and sentencing to proceed in his absence; (2) erroneously permitted the State to introduce an uncharged prior bad act as evidence; and (3) imposed the habitual-offender enhancement in a <br> way that may have violated the Double Jeopardy... More...
$0 (01-01-2016 - VT)State Of Vermont v. Timothy P. Perley
Defendant was charged with numerous crimes in March 2013, including: leaving <br> the scene of an accident; violating conditions of release; operating with a suspended license; <br> driving under the influence (DUI), third offense; and refusing to submit to an evidentiary test. <br> Defendant pled nolo contendere to the first three charges. <br> ¶ 3. In July 2013, defendant moved to dismiss th... More...
$0 (12-31-2015 - VT)State Of Vermont v. Paul Aiken
Defendant appeals the decision of the Orange Superior Court, Criminal Division denying his motion to suppress his refusal to submit to an evidentiary breath test on the ground that he was denied his right to counsel under 23 V.S.A. § 1202. We affirm. <br> <br> ¶ 2. The following facts are undisputed. On November 12, 2013, shortly before <br> midnight, defendant was pulled over for speeding. T... More...
$0 (12-31-2015 - VT)Vermont Human Rights Commission, Lynne Silloway, Mary Bertrand and Lisa DeBlois v. State of Vermont, Department of Corrections and Department of Human Services
The Vermont Human Rights Commission and three female employees of the Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) filed suit against the State—the DOC and the Vermont Department of Human Resources (DHR)—claiming that the DOC violated the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act (VFEPA), 21 V.S.A. §§ 495-496a, by paying a male employee in the same position as the female plaintiffs as much as $10,000... More...
$0 (12-29-2015 - VT)State Of Vermont v. William O. Stanley, Sr.
Defendant William O. Stanley, Sr., appeals his conviction of sexual assault. On appeal, defendant argues that the trial court (1) erroneously permitted the trial and sentencing to proceed in his absence; (2) erroneously permitted the State to introduce an uncharged prior bad act as evidence; and (3) imposed the habitual-offender enhancement in a <br> way that may have violated the Double Jeopar... More...
$0 (12-27-2015 - VT)State Of Vermont v. Anthony Gotavaskas / State v. Grant S. Bercik
The State appeals the Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division’s <br> decisions to seal certain portions of competency reports prepared in connection with court <br> ordered competency evaluations of Anthony Gotavaskas and Grant S. Bercik, defendants in two <br> separate criminal cases. For the reasons stated herein, we reverse and remand. <br> The facts of the respective underlying cases are ... More...
$0 (12-27-2015 - VT)Nichols v. LaPlante
Plaintiff Scott Nichols is an inmate in the custody and control of the Vermont Department of Corrections (the “Department”). At the time of the events in dispute here, he was incarcerated at Northern State Correctional Facility (“NSCF”). Since filing this complaint, Plaintiff has been released from prison and placed on conditional re-entry furlough in the community. This action was file... More...
$0 (12-03-2015 - VT)James LeBlanc, Christine LeBlanc Fortin, David LeBlanc and Herman LeBlanc v. Robert E. Snelgrove
This case encompasses two main related sets of disputes. One dispute arises from a landowner’s replacement of his boathouse and construction of ancillary retaining walls that encroach onto his neighbors’ property. This dispute includes claims for declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as damages on account of the landowner’s alleged <br> trespass. The neighbors challenge the trial cou... More...
$0 (10-25-2015 - VT)Michael Bandler, MB&Co, Ltd. a/k/a Michael Bandler & Company v. Cohen Rosenthal & Kramer, LLP
Plaintiffs Michael Bandler and MB&Co, Ltd. (“corporation”) <br> bring an interlocutory appeal from the trial court’s ruling that Bandler, a nonattorney, may not <br> represent corporation in this case. He argues that the trial court violated his due-process rights <br> by ruling on the basis of the parties’ respective written submissions on the issue of representation <br> without giving... More...
$0 (10-24-2015 - VT)State of Vermont v. Evan P. Ford
Defendant Evan P. Ford argues the Bennington Superior Court abused its discretion when the court held him without bail. Pursuant to 13 V.S.A. § 7553, the trial court’s order denied defendant bail on four charges that each carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. In addition, the court found that neither home detention under 13 V.S.A. § 7554b nor the sheriff’s monitoring program under... More...
$0 (10-24-2015 - VT)Timothy Terry and Penny Terry v. William O'Brien and Susan Cain O'Brien
In the early 1980s, landlords William and Susan O’Brien purchased the subject <br> property, which is located in the Old North End of Burlington and includes a two-story house <br> and brick building (referred to as the creamery) with a common wall to the rear of the house. <br> The creamery has no fixtures and has never been inhabited. After landlords purchased the <br> property in 1982, the ... More...
$0 (10-24-2015 - VT)Timothy Terry and Penny Terry v. William O'Brien and Susan Cain O'Brien
In the early 1980s, landlords William and Susan O’Brien purchased the subject <br> property, which is located in the Old North End of Burlington and includes a two-story house <br> and brick building (referred to as the creamery) with a common wall to the rear of the house. <br> The creamery has no fixtures and has never been inhabited. After landlords purchased the <br> property in 1982, the... More...
$0 (10-23-2015 - VT)Frazer v. Olson
Mother appeals the parent-child contact and property division orders in a final divorce decree that assign her sole parental rights and responsibilities with regard to the parties’ children. On appeal, mother argues that the trial court was bound to consider findings of fact made by the presiding magistrate at a temporary hearing and that the court’s findings do not support its conclusions. ... More...
$0 (08-02-2015 - VT)