[R]UTLAND — About 30 friends and family of a well-known Tinmouth farmer turned out Monday to watch the man who is accused of killing him in a hit-and-run crash face arraignment on an upgraded charge.
Thomas H. Velde Jr., 42, of Middletown Springs, pleaded not guilty in Rutland Superior Court to a felony charge of careless or negligent operation of a motor vehicle with death resulting.
Leo Branchaud, 57, was struck and killed April 22, 2016, as he walked near his home.
Velde had been arraigned after the crash on a misdemeanor charge of negligent driving.
Other charges previously brought against Velde remain pending, including a habitual offender enhancement that carries a possible life sentence. The additional charges include leaving the scene of a fatal crash, impeding police and driving without a license.
Community members filled three rows of benches behind the prosecutor’s table in the courtroom Monday, with Tami Carboni-Branchaud, the victim’s widow, seated in the front row. Similar crowds have attended every hearing in the case.
The case has galvanized the tight-knit town of Tinmouth, population 613, which has rallied around Carboni-Branchaud. People stepped forward after Branchaud’s death to help keep the farm operating, signing up for shifts to milk the cows to maintain their value before they were sold off.
A communitywide meeting earlier this year with Kennedy and Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan drew about 200 people. The two prosecutors said at that meeting they couldn’t discuss particulars of the Velde case, but did hear residents’ concerns about repeat offenders in the criminal justice system. Velde has eight felony and more than 30 misdemeanor convictions.
A judge recently denied a motion by William Cobb, Velde’s attorney, seeking a change of venue because of the publicity the case has received.
Cobb, in court Monday, asked Judge Cortland Corsones to consider releasing his client on home detention with electronic monitoring. Velde is being held without bail.
Cobb said Velde has strong ties to the area and is not likely to flee. The attorney said Velde owns his own home in Middletown Springs and has several family members living nearby.
Kennedy objected to the request, saying Velde was both a risk to flee and a risk to public safety. She pointed to his lengthy criminal record and the nature of the latest charges.
Corsones told Cobb that if he wanted to review his client’s bail situation he should file a formal motion.
Velde’s mother, Lisa Velde, who police initially said was the driver in the crash, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of impeding law enforcement. She was sentenced to one to three years in jail, with all but eight months suspended.
