[W]HITE RIVER JUNCTION — Jody Herring has a two-decade history with the corrections system in Vermont, even though her court records say she has never been convicted of a felony.
Herring, 40, was arraigned in Barre District Court Monday for first degree murder in the shooting death of Lara Sobel, a social worker, on Friday. She is also the prime suspect in the killing of three relatives, also on Friday.
Herring has been convicted of misdemeanors 11 times since the 1990s, often under plea agreements reached through public defenders.
She has failed to appear in court 10 times, and while she’s currently behind bars, she has a case pending for allegedly driving under the influence on her way from Berlin to Williamstown on June 23.
Herring’s first felony charge was for petit larceny in December 2001. She was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault in January 2003 in Washington County. She was then charged with a felony in May 2003 in Windsor County for possession of more than one gram of heroin.
Herring reached plea agreements in the most severe crimes she was accused of. In January 2002, she signed a plea agreement to have a felony petit larceny changed reduced to a misdemeanor version of the crime. She paid restitution to a jewelry store.
In April 2003, police stopped Herring and her brother on Interstate 91. They searched the car, then performed a cavity search. They discovered 42 baggies of heroin within her body, amounting to 1.26 grams of heroin. She failed to appear at her arraignment in June 2003, and the judge issued an arrest warrant to get her to court.
She entered treatment in May 2003, according to court documents, even though her domestic assault case was still pending. “Cousin called to say def. is in treatment (she can’t tell me where),” the documents say.
The judge then sent out a warrant for her arrest in June 2003. She was not arrested again until December 2004, according to court documents.
A month later, in January 2005, Herring signed a plea agreement to have her heroin charge reduced to a misdemeanor charge with six to 12 months of probation. She requested an out-of-state probation officer so she could live in Massachusetts, but she allegedly violated her probation.
Herring missed probation appointments several times between May 2005 and August 2005, according to court documents. The court put her on another six to 12 months of probation.
The domestic assault charge was still pending during the heroin case, but eventually was reduced to disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor. It remains unclear whether the domestic assault charge reduced to disorderly conduct would have prohibited her from owning a gun under federal law.
In 1998, Herring was disqualified by Judge Walter Morris from buying or owning a gun as a condition when Herring was held on bail after she was arrested for driving with a criminally suspended license. Herring faced criminal charges for driving with a criminally suspended license after she allegedly collided with her boss’ car. It was the same day the loss prevention division fired her from a job at a gas station, court records say. A week before going to a jury trial, Herring reached a plea agreement with the prosecutors to serve probation, but she allegedly violated it.
Currently, her DUI charges are still pending in Windham County. Court documents say that while she drove with .148 blood alcohol content, she was also taking Ritalin, a stimulant often used to treat attention deficit disorder; trazadone, an antidepressant often used for depression, anxiety, or insomnia; and blood pressure medication.
Steve Brown, a deputy state’s attorney in Windham County, said the cases in Washington County and Windham County will be “sorted out going forward.”
Herring faces up to two years in prison and a $1,500 fine in the DUI case. She is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 15.
If convicted of first degree murder in the killing of Lara Sobel, she could receive a sentence of 35 years in prison to life without parole.
Correction (Aug. 20, 9:25 a.m.): This story orginally said Judge Edward Cashman prohibited Herring from owning a gun as part of a family court proceeding. It was Judge Walter Morris who imposed the condition.
