Michael Albans

1 week ago | manchesterjournal.com | Michael Albans

MANCHESTER — A case involving a violent domestic assault, set to go to trial this summer in Bennington County, highlights the current rise in domestic abuse incidents in the local courts, how repeat offenders can often skirt the system for years before facing any serious jail time, and what might begin to stem the tide. The case against Daniel Richland, 33, is, by all accounts, extremely violent.

1 week ago | manchesterjournal.com | Michael Albans

BENNINGTON — There’s a new Bennington County Deputy State Prosecutor, and she’s a Vermont native with a passion for balancing the rights of defendants, community safety, and the constitutional requirements of the law. Anna Cykon grew up the middle child of a prosecutor and an occupational therapist in Montpelier, the place she still calls home and the town her parents still live in. Her upbringing was “wonderful” and one of the main reasons she moved back to Vermont.

1 week ago | benningtonbanner.com | Michael Albans

BENNINGTON — There’s a new Bennington County Deputy State Prosecutor, and she’s a Vermont native with a passion for balancing the rights of defendants, community safety, and the constitutional requirements of the law. Anna Cykon grew up the middle child of a prosecutor's father and an occupational therapist in Montpelier, the place she still calls home and the town her parents still live in. Her upbringing was “wonderful” and one of the main reasons she moved back to Vermont.

1 week ago | benningtonbanner.com | Michael Albans

BENNINGTON — A masseur formerly employed by Equinox Resort and Spa, accused in an alleged sexual assault of a female guest during a massage in October 2023, had his felony sexual assault charge dismissed by a Bennington judge on Tuesday, only to be reinstated two days later.

2 weeks ago | reformer.com | Michael Albans

BENNINGTON — The mother of a Pownal elementary student who brought a handgun and ammunition to school in his backpack is the first Vermonter ever arraigned on a negligent firearms storage charge, a misdemeanor carrying a possible year in jail. Crystal Mahar, 34, of Pownal, was arraigned Monday in Bennington on the misdemeanor — the first person in Vermont charged with the new law. The charge — negligent firearms storage used in a crime or threatening manner, is a misdemeanor under Vermont statute.