NEWPORT, Vt. -
Roger Pion is a free man. He's the one accused of using a tractor to crush seven Orleans County Sheriff's squad cars. He made bail and was released from jail Thursday morning. His attorney thinks there's a chance he won't go back.
Roger Pion walked out of jail after spending nearly a month behind bars for a disorderly conduct charge - completely unrelated to the cruiser charges.
I asked Roger as he walked with his parents out of jail, "What's the first thing you'll do today?" He said, "Go home." I asked, "Happy to be going home?" He said, "Yep."
Pion is facing eleven felonies. I asked, "Do you have any regrets about this?" Pion replied, "No."
The Pion's created a Facebook page for Roger, it's called "Roger Pion The Magnificent" and more than four thousand people seem to be in support of what he's accused of doing.
"Do you have anything to say to your supporters?" I asked. He said, "Thank you."
Pion's attorney says he's building Roger's case. He's working to have the attempted aggravated assault charge dropped because that carries the most time in prison. David Sleigh also plans to ask the judge to dismiss the seven individual cruiser counts.
"It's my opinion and I think it's fairly strongly legally supported that they can only charge one property damage crime when there's one occurrence," Sleigh said.
He's been arraigned and plead not guilty. If Pion was convicted of every single count, he could technically do 68 years in prison, but his attorney doesn't think he'll do any.
"He's got time in now," Sleigh said.
"Was it okay in there?" I asked. Pion said, "It was all right... for jail."
Even though he was released, there are conditions; he can't get behind the wheel of anything.
I asked Sleigh, "Does that include tractors?" He said, "It does."
According to the Pion's, the District Attorney is going after Roger's dad for damages, because he owns the tractor.
