Stocker trials move closer, prosecution suggests this summer

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION

Ryan Stocker, 20 of Chester appeared in Windsor Superior Court Criminal Division in White River Junction on Tuesday for a status conference on the eight felony and two misdemeanor charges he faces in six cases.

Deputy State’s Attorney Heidi Remick told the court that the outstanding issue was a motion she filed in November of last year that needs to be addressed before going to trial since it would affect the legal strategy and the number of cases tried.

Defense attorney Melvin Fink, who is representing Stocker in four of the six cases, told Judge Timothy Tomasi that discovery is complete and he agreed that the state’s motion needs to be resolved.

The motion in question says that the charges against Stocker show a common pattern of “bad acts” and that whether there are separate trials or one joint trial, the jury should be able to consider that pattern.

Tomasi gave Fink 10 days to respond to the motion as well as 10 days for Remick to answer Fink’s response before a hearing on the motion will take place.

Scheduling the trials

Tomasi asked the attorneys how they would like to proceed with the trials. Remick noted that the first three dockets are the most similar in nature and that two of the three victims in those cases are in colleges out of state which could make scheduling difficult. Remick suggested a summer trial date before school starts again in the fall.

“Together or separately, they should go first,” said Remick

Fink told the court that the defense is “vehemently opposed” to the first three cases being joined together in one trial, saying that taking the cases in chronological order was their preference.

Attorney Robert Lees who represents Stocker in the two latest cases told Tomasi that since a motion to treat Stocker as a youthful offender was denied, he is moving forward with depositions scheduled for July. Those trials would occur later.