Opinion ID: 2069041
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Police Chief O'Neill

Text: During the course of the misconduct investigation, Officer Mark Heimall spoke with the chief of the Northfield Police, defendant Michael O'Neill, while wearing an electronic listening device. Heimall told O'Neill that he knew Falcone and Trono were involved in the shooting of Oren's store and asked what he should say if questioned about it. O'Neill replied, The way I would approach it at this point in time is I don't know anything about it. Heimall also spoke with Falcone. Falcone told him: [T]hey need the barrel [the casings at the scene] w[ere] fired from .... Mike [O'Neill] told me to dump, like go to Jersey and toss [my gun barrel] in some river somewhere on my way to Jersey. Falcone also told the Vermont State Police that O'Neill, several times, had told him to get rid of his gun barrel. O'Neill also supplied Trono with a gun, directing him to fire it, collect two casings, and substitute them for the ones recovered from Oren's store. O'Neill was charged with three counts of obstruction of justice. He moved for their dismissal on the same groundthat no judicial proceedings were pending at the time the alleged offenses occurred. The court denied the motion, and O'Neill filed an interlocutory appeal which was consolidated with Trono's appeal.