ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) – A judge who heard the case of a teen-ager charged in a fatal hunting accident rejected a plea agreement Friday that called for no jail time, saying some incarceration was warranted.
Collin Viens, 19, agreed to the plea in February, after his involuntary manslaughter trial ended in a hung jury.
Viens is accused in the Nov. 23, 2005 shooting of Rejean Lussier, 60, who was shot as he sat in the cab of his tractor, looking for deer. He agreed in February to plead guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter, avoiding jail under an agreement that angered the victim’s family.
The plea called for 18 months on a 24-hour curfew, speeches before hunter safety classes and monthly contributions to a state wildlife fund for the next 10 years. The jail term – 1 to 10 years – would have been suspended. Sentencing was scheduled for Friday. But Vermont District Court Judge Ben Joseph balked at approving the plea agreement. Lussier’s widow said she didn’t expect the judge to turn down the deal.
“We’re very pleased,” said Bonnie Lussier, who believes Viens deserves jail time. “I didn’t think it was harsh enough for what he had done,” she said. “I just want him to realize what he has done.”
Viens, of Georgia, originally told police he shot a coyote, but later admitted what had happened. Prosecutors said Viens failed to follow safe hunting practices when he placed his finger on the trigger, removed the safety lock and aimed.
His lawyer said Viens was an inexperienced hunter who didn’t intentionally aim his gun at the tractor.
Last October, a jury deadlocked on the involuntary manslaughter charge, capping an emotional 2-day trial. The second trial was to begin in February but became unnecessary when Viens – who faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted – agreed to the plea a day before.
Steve Dunham, an attorney representing Viens, would not comment on the judge’s decision Friday.
A status conference was scheduled for April 23 to decide what comes next in the case.
AP-ES-04-06-07 1651EDT
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