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By Guy Page
A well-known repeat offender in Burlington has been found incompetent to stand trial, according to a recent court decision. The ruling was based on an expert’s evaluation of Michael Reynolds, a man with a long history of criminal charges.
Reynolds has been a frequent subject of police reports and news coverage. Authorities say he has accumulated nearly 1800 police interactions and 200 charges, resulting in close to 50 convictions over the years.
According to a WCAX report, the latest court ruling pertains to a misdemeanor assault charge from earlier this year. Last week, a judge accepted findings that Reynolds is not competent to face trial for that charge.
Court documents indicate that his attorney is currently working on securing him a placement at the Brattleboro Retreat, a mental health facility. The move could provide an alternative path for addressing his legal and mental health challenges outside the traditional judicial system.
Another hearing in the case is expected to take place next month, where further decisions regarding Reynolds’ future may be made.
If Reynolds doesn’t secure a bed at a mental heath treatment facility, he may well be turned out to the street. A Vermont state’s attorney (not Chittenden County) told VDC today that suspects found not competent to stand trial are often quietly released back into the community.
Authorities and community members alike continue to grapple with concerns surrounding repeat offenders and mental health treatment in Vermont’s legal system.
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Categories: Public Safety
Releasing individuals back out to the public , knowing that they are a danger to others, is reckless. Incarcerating individuals with true mental illnesses is thoughtless and cruel.
But how does society differentiate between a ‘bad’ person and a ‘mentally ill’ person? I don’t have an answer for that. However because both of these types of individuals are capable of harm to the community, our only recourse for a repeat offender is to restrain them in whatever facilities we have available at the time.
It’s very sad to say the least .
Is there a betting line on how many police interactions this miscreant accumulates before he seriously hurts/kills himself, or someone else ? The judicial system has already given the perp a bye. In the cases where one is deemed to be incapable of making rational decisions for themselves, who does this responsibility fall to, and who gets sued ? The judges ? prosecutors ? legislators ? the perp’s family ? Someone is dropping the ball in this case. Of course when it hits the fan, there will be a circular firing squad of finger pointing and statements of “not my fault”, but as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, someone IS responsible when this inevitably happens, and the fan speed will be set on high !
often quietly released back into the community. ???????? NO. STAND UP & HOLLER!
One of these days he will mess with the wrong person and we will be reading his obituary. FAFO.
Or theirs.
The St. Albans City police would give a bad person a bus ticket to another town in the state hoping he would never come back. The problem was it never worked and they always came back. Give this guy a paid trip to California and hope for the best. He should fit in with those people.
I have had many encounters with Mike and he is a menace. He has threatened to steal from me if I did not give him money and St Joseph’s Cathedral in Burlington has had to lock the doors outside of Mass times because of repeated attempts by Mike and others to enter, hide out and create havoc. Because he is homeless, he repeatedly camped out on the second level of the external emergency stairway of the Cathedral, necessitating the whole stairway being fenced off. The mess he created on the steps of St Joseph’s home next door was a nightmare. He lives until his next drink or hit of whatever. At this point in his life, he has certain physical and psychological issues and really needs to be confined and taken care of. Since Vermont seems incapable of deciding on a permanent solution for Mike, he would be a candidate for one of those tiny houses talked about in another article.