ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont man accused of shooting another man twice in the back faces additional charges for having social media contact with a person who authorities say was involved with the crime.
Washington Superior Court Judge Mary Morrissey charged Arthur Butler, 18, with nine counts of violating court-ordered conditions of his release by having social media contact with John“JJ” Emerson III, the Caledonian Record reported Wednesday.
The judge had denied Deputy Caledonia County State’s Attorney Maria Byford request for Butler to be released on the condition that he will be prohibited from using electronic devices to access internet at all.
Butler’s court-appointed attorney, Dan Sedon, also dismissed the charges as “draconian” and “overly broad.”
“Why create a situation of playing cat and mouse? No contact with the co-defendant is clear enough,” Sedon said. “It’s certainly not necessary to impose a draconian across-the-board condition.”
Butler was charged with reckless endangerment and felony aggravated assault for allegedly shooting 24-year-old Brandon Delude twice in the back while they fought on the ground in April 2019.
His co-defendant, Emerson, was accused of helping him flee police after the shooting. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Butler faces a possible sentence of up to four years in prison and $9,000 in fines if he is convicted on all nine of the new charges.
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