Case Title: State v. Billado

Citation: 165 Vt 615, 686 A.2d 476

Docket Number: 

State: vermont

Court: Vermont Supreme Court

Date: 1996-10-02T00:00:00Z

Document:
State v. Billado  (95-361); 165 Vt 615; 686 A.2d 476

[Opinion Filed 2-Oct-1996]


                               ENTRY ORDER

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 95-361

                            SEPTEMBER TERM, 1996

State of Vermont                     }     APPEALED FROM:
                                     }
                                     }
     v.                              }     District Court of Vermont,
                                     }     Unit No. 3, Orleans Circuit
Carroll Billado                      }
                                     }     DOCKET NO. 406-9-93 OsCr

       In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

       Defendant appeals his unlawful mischief conviction.  We affirm.

       While serving as a deputy sheriff, defendant was involved in the chase
  of a man driving a pickup truck.  Defendant and another officer eventually
  found the truck, which had been abandoned by the driver.  Defendant was
  charged with and convicted of unlawful mischief for smashing the truck's
  front windshield and slashing its tires.

       Defendant argues that he was denied the right to trial by an impartial
  jury when the trial court denied his motions to change venue, to quash
  venire, and to strike one of the jurors. Regarding the venue issue, he
  claims that negative pretrial publicity created sentiment against him in
  the community.  According to defendant, the community's ill feelings toward
  him were demonstrated by the length of time it took to draw a jury and by
  the number of negative responses provided on the jury questionnaire. 
  Defendant has fallen far short, however, of showing that the court abused
  its discretion in denying his motion to change venue.  See State v. Truman,
  124 Vt. 285, 289,