Resident Wants Town To Support Man Facing Indictment

Vermont Standard

By Curt Peterson

Standard Correspondent

Killington — Resident Vito Rasenas to ask the select board to consider some kind of official town support for Craig Mosher, a 61-year old Killington farmer whose bull “Rob” was involved in a fatal altercation with an automobile two months ago. On Monday April 4 a grand jury in Rutland Criminal Court indicted Mosher for involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Connecticut resident and Killington second-home owner, Jon Bellis, 64.

Mosher “acted with criminal negligence by having notice that his Scottish Highland bull was loose and failed to contain his bull or alert others to this danger,” leading to Bellis’s death, the indictment says.

In fact, according to his attorney, Mosher himself was notified about his errant bull by the police, who had received a 9-1-1 call from someone who had seen it running loose, and when he heard about the accident he was already out looking for the animal to capture it.

Killington police chief Whit Montgomery said, “In my 17 years I don’t recall being called out for any of (Mosher’s) animals being loose.”

“Everyone here knows what Craig Mosher has done for this town over the years,” Rasenas said. “And most people feel he’s been mistreated by the Rutland County prosecutor. I think the select board and the town should do everything we can to support him.”

Resident David Rosenblum suggested public notifications of any hearing dates so residents who wanted to support Mosher could attend.

Schwartz thought a petition might be circulated. “A lot of signatures of people who know him might have an effect,” she said.

Rosenblum said he thought individual letters from each person who would otherwise sign a petition would be more effective. “Stacks of individual letters would be even more powerful than a petition. They would show more effort.”

Pressed for what the select board might do as an official entity, McGrath said she would want to consult with the town’s attorney to find out what would be appropriate before taking any action.

“We want to be careful,” she said. “We’re in court already.”

McGrath was referring to a pending suit in federal court in which resident M. B. Neisner is alleging several areas of incompetence, cover-ups and other misdoings by the Select Board.

As of April 19 the board has filed a motion to dismiss Neisner’s suit on grounds that it contains no actual claim. It was their second such motion, the first having been deemed moot because Neisner had filed an amendment to his original filing, making the original invalid, ergo not eligible for dismissal by the court.

However, McGrath pointed out, the Neisner situation has made the board cautious about actions that might have legal implications. The board will determine what their options are regarding official support for Mosher.

Deborah Schwartz’s short first town manager’s report included some good news — the state school tax obligation, notice of which arrived this week, is about $68,500 lower than the amount the Select Board had budgeted.

“This will more than offset the expected decrease in our options tax revenue,” McGrath said.

A relatively poor tourism season this winter negatively affected sales on which the tax is levied. McGrath, who is owner of The Inn at Long Trail, said second quarter revenue at her establishment was down 20 percent from last year, although their first quarter had seen an increase.

“I was impossible to accurately estimate in advance how to budget for the decrease,” she said, “so we picked a number out of the air. I think the reduction in the school tax will take care of it.”