Man charged in cruiser crushing has June trial

NEWPORT, Vt. (AP) - A Vermont man accused of crushing seven sheriffs’ vehicles with a farm tractor is scheduled for trial in June.

Police say 35-year-old Roger Pion of Newport was angry about an earlier arrest for marijuana possession when he drove his father’s tractor over six police cruisers and a transport van owned by the Orleans County Sheriffs’ Department in 2012. Officials said that caused about $300,000 in damage.

The Caledonian Record reports (https://bit.ly/1gD89QC) Pion at one point was deemed incompetent to stand trial and was hospitalized in January. A later evaluation found him to be competent.

Pion has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

___

Information from: The Caledonian-Record, https://www.caledonianrecord.com