Valley News from West Lebanon, New Hampshire • 2

Page A2 uocai Regional Valley News Monday March 21 2016 Local 8c Regional Inmate Ages Focus of Bill In Vermont Legislation Would Allow Early Release for Oldest Prisoners Ready to Jam Jam organizer Jim Strout left and stringed instrument repairman twice-monthly afternoon jam invites stringed instrument players Dae Allbee of North Haverhill right kill time before the start of to join a group of core musicians playing country and bluegrass the acoustic jam at Clifford Memorial Hall in Woodsville The Valley News James Patterson Sex-Assault Case to Return to Court By Dave Gram Associated Press Montpelier Legislation pending in Vermont would let officials take into account the ages of the oldest inmates when deciding whether they should be considered for eady release population of inmates aged 60 oi older more than doubled from 41 in 2005 to 96 in 2015 according to figures from the state Department of Corrections Older prisoners are considered less risky than their younger counterparts and much more expensive to care for said Lisa Menard the commissioner As of this past week oldest male inmate was 90 the oldest female was 69 Menard said she was barred by department rules from identifying them The Pew Charitable Trusts reported that as of 201 1 Vermont was tied with Oregon as having the largest share of their inmate populations 1 4 percent for both 55 or older The Vermont House last week passed and sent on to the Senate a bill that would allow of some elderly and infirm inmates Two classes of inmates could apply for parole before serving their minimum sentences: those 55 and older who had served as least 10 years of their sentences and those 65 and older who had served at least 5 years Both would have had to have completed programming provided to prisoners Prisoners with serious medical conditions also could be released Nearly all states and the federal government have such compassionate release programs on the books but in many places they are used rarely said Tina Maschi an associate professor in the graduate program for social service at Fordham University in New York The result is that many elderly inmates die in prison as according to Menard one 79-year-old man has in Vermont already this year large number of older people in prison is partially attributed to the passage of stricter sentencing laws such as strikes and and subsequent longer prison said a study published last year by Maschi and other authors Health problems common to older people present a big administrative problem and cost driver in prisons are significant medical issues that generally arise there are mobility Menard said are in some cases dementia-type issues cognitive functioning issues In a facility all of these things present additional challenges as far as housing Where is the best and safest place in a facility to house somebody who has mobility issues handle stairs climb up onto a top bunk in a facility may have trouble remembering meal schedules or Prison systems have been taking on new costs to respond to the needs of elderly inmates The Southeast State Correctional Facility in Springfield maintains a small hospice unit for prisoners in their last days Menard said An American Civil Liberties Union report in 2012 found that federal and state governments spend a combined $16 billion a year to house older inmates most of who could be released without increasing risks to the public State prisons were housing 246000 inmates age 50 and older around the country the report said adding that the number was projected to grow to 400000 by 2030 While the cost of caring for elderly inmates with health problems is one motivating factor Menard said another is at it in a compassionate way toward the offender Is this the place somebody should be spending the end of their Cara Cookson policy director with the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services said advocates had concerns with the bill initially but she said the House Corrections and Institutions Committee which drafted the measure had added enough safeguards so that her group is now supporting the measure Among those safeguards: that the Parole Board would still have final say over whether an inmate is released early The initial bill called for inmates seeking compassionate release to have their request reviewed by a judge By Lynne Tuohy Associated Press Concord Lawyers for a man sentenced to more than seven years in prison for sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl are hoping he can make a second bid to have his sentence reconsidered after a judge went back and forth on the matter Joshua Baud 33 of Wakefield NH was sentenced in September 2014 to IVi years in connection with the 2006 assault But his case sparked outrage and set in motion a sentencing saga after Carroll County Superior Court Judge David Garfunkel days later said he had reconsidered and wanted to impose a lighter sentence of six years much soul he said he decided he had not balanced the goals of sentencing: punishment deterrence and rehabilitation Prosecutors strenuously objected and two months later Garfunkel ruled he have the authority to revisit the sentence under the rules prompting the first state Supreme Court challenge by lawyers The justices ruled in December 2015 that he did have the authority to revisit a sentence if he had overlooked or misunderstood points of law or fact Garfunkel revisited the case and ruled last month that he did not overlook any of sentencing Superior Court Judge David Garfunkel speaks during arguments in Carroll County Superior Court in Ossipee NH over whether he had that authority to reduce the sentence of a man convicted of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl in 2014 ap Jim Cole Judge Changed His Mind on Sentence arguments including his relatively minor criminal record and that the crime involved a single act of digital penetration He let the original sentence stand lawyers are now back before the Supreme Court arguing a judge has broad authority to reconsider a sentence beyond court rules that require a mistaken application of laws or facts The Supreme ruling dealt only with a discretion under the court rule which is narrowly defined a whole other question the Supreme Court address in the initial appeal which is whether a judge has broader power to reconsider a attorney David Rothstein one of lawyers said last week Rothstein said that if they prevail in this second challenge it will present interesting in the case Garfunkel now 70 has since retired Judicial officials confirmed recently that Garfunkel could serve as a referee or a mediator but because of his retirement could not preside over a criminal trial or sentencing When intent to reduce the sentence was still on the table the mother said her daughter was distraught and had flashbacks to the assault by someone who had been a trusted family friend Lynda Ruel director of the attorney office of victim and witness assistance said she comment on how the mother and daughter are dealing with the latest appeal because the cause is pending The appeal is in its early stages and lawyers on both sides have yet to file their briefs said Sean Locke the attorney who is representing the state Celebrity Items Up for Auction in Maine NH Watching Maine Health Insurance Co-op TV personality Joe Franklin in New York ap Kevin Larkin By David Sharp Associated Press Biddeford Maine A collection of memorabilia including Babe baseball glove and Walt Mickey Mouse ears is coming up for auction off the beaten path in Maine far from the Big Apple where Ruth smacked home riins and the theme park and studio Disney created in California The items that once belonged to the late New York TV and radio personality Joe Franklin include several dozen hats from a bygone era such as Frank fedora and John Stetson The auction will take place April 2 at Maine-based Saco River Auction a small auction house far from the entertainment hubs of New York and Los Angeles Auctioneer Troy Thibodeau said the items came from a collector who wishes to remain anonymous who spent years purchasing items cowboy boots and spurs era included the heyday of hats The collection includes pillbox hats that belonged to Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn Charlie derby Babe Gatsby a leather hat belonging to Jimi Hendrix a tattered straw hat worn by Buddy Ebsen and a sombrero owned by Slim Pickens Others who donated hats included Grace Kelly Judy Garland Walter Matthau Humphrey Bogart James Cagney Ray Charles Mae West Johnny Carson Burt Lancaster and Vincent Price Franklin who died in January 2015 at age 88 was a talk show institution in New York He amassed so much memorabilia either as gifts or through his own purchases that his office was a cluttered mess He even rented expensive storage units to handle the overflow said Steve Garrin longtime producer and friend office was floor to ceiling with said Garrin Though Franklin never had the national exposure of talk show hosts who followed he was an icon in New York where he hosted radio and TV shows for decades Garrin and Franklin joined a restaurateur to open Joe Memory Lane Restaurant in theater district Franklin who logged more than 300000 guests during his career auctioned off some of the items himself in 2002 Some of those items including Jack stage violin are back up for sale again as part of the collection in Saco Thibodeau said The small auction house made a name for itself in recent years with some high-profile items including the oldest known recording of black vocal group and a rare baseball card from 1865 Concord (ap) New Hampshire insurance regulators are working with their counterparts in Maine to monitor a financially struggling health insurance cooperative that serves both states Community Health Options based in Lewiston Maine was the only cooperative in the country to make money on the Affordable Care public insurance exchanges in 2014 but it saw big losses last year and stopped taking new customers in December Last week the Maine Bureau of Insurance announced it will be monitoring and posting financial updates about the cooperative every month In New Hampshire where the co-op is one of five companies offering individual ACA plans Insurance Commissioner Roger Sevigny said his priority is making sure New Hampshire residents are treated fairly With 71500 members the co-op is the largest provider of individual health insurance in Maine In New Hampshire it has 12700 customers After experiencing higher-than-ex-pected enrollment and claims Costs Community Health Options posted a $31 million loss in 2015 and is now setting aside $43 million to cover possible big losses this year Officials have said premiums are likely to go up and the cooperative plans to submit its proposal to state insurance regulators in May If Maine regulators determine that the company would not be able to meets its obligations on an ongoing basis consumers would be entitled to a special enrollment period during which they could select new coverage from the collection of Franklin a talk show host who encouraged his famous guests to leave a souvenir after appearing on his show The items include leather jackets belonging to Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando Laurel and boxing gloves a baseball glove used by Joe DiMaggio and a harmonica used by Janis Joplin In addition to John Stetson the collection includes the Local Regional Briefs mote tourism around the state capitol and give state residents more opportunities to take in the history The bill will go to the Senate if passed by the House on Wednesday Man Steals Pet Food From Rescue League Bedford nh Police are looking for the man who stole more than 500 pounds of pet food from the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire in Bedford According to WMUR-TV the thief sometime Saturday night ripped the door to the pet food pantry off its hinges Images caught by a surveillance camera show the hooded man making several trips carrying food out of the pantry The shelves were left bare He also took 15 pounds of NH House Considers Bill to Add Saturday Statehouse Hours Concord nh A bill up for debate this week in the New Hampshire House would lay the groundwork for the Statehouse to remain open on Saturdays during the summer The proposal would allow the state to enter an agreement with an outside entity that would pay for Statehouse weekend operations including security and staffing ftir potential tours The Concord Chamber of Commerce has expressed interest in fundraising to keep the Statehouse open on weekends The bill would allow the facility to stay open only on Saturdays from Memorial Day to Columbus Day Advocates of the effort say it would pro- a dog treats Rescue league officials say a tool shed was also broken into but it appears nothing was taken Bedford police were on the scene Sunday Animal Rescue League officials are seeking donations to help restock the pantry Maine Waitress Turns In $1700 Customer Left Behind Portland Maine A Maine man was stunned when he learned that the $1700 in cash in an envelope inadvertently left on a table at a South Portland restaurant had been turned in to management by the waitress served him Glenn Morse who owns Morse Builders in Portland said pulled the envelope out of his pocket March 1 1 to pay his tab and realize lost it until the next morning The money was for payroll and expenses The Portland Press Herald reported that Buffalo Wild Wings waitress Kaylie Cyr found the envelope and immediately turned it in to management Morse returned to the restaurant days later to thank Cyr and compliment her for her honesty and to give her 1 00 Cyr said that made her day Vt State Police Launch New Website for Unsolved Killings Waterbury Vt Vermont State Police detectives have launched a new website that lists the unsolved killings and missing persons cases in hopes that additional public 4 attention can help solve the mysteries The website includes 55 unsolved homicides and 35 long-term ongoing missing persons cases The site includes a map of Vermont with the names of the victims and information about each case Criminal Division Commander Glenn Hall says hoped that the Vermont Missing Persons and Unsolved pages will conversation awareness and potentially new information to assist The launch of the site coincided with the 12th anniversary of the disappearance from Montgomery of 17-year-old Brianna Maitland who has not been seen since she left work on March 19 2004 Win reports.