Vermont court officials say new rules on transporting jailed suspects to their initial hearings are working well, but some prosecutors see the potential for problems.
To save money, sheriff’s deputies now bring suspects to the closest courthouse to the jail instead of the courthouse in the county where the alleged crime occurred. Bob Greemore, acting court administrator, says there have been a few logistical glitches but the process is working as intended.
Lamoille County State’s Attorney Joel Page disagrees. He says the new system leads to last-minute paperwork scrambles that greatly increase the risk of misunderstanding and errors. He says it’s only a matter of time before there’s a serious mistake.