Former students admit Milton hazing

Two former Milton High School football players involved in a hazing scandal are being given a chance to avoid having criminal convictions remain on their records for their attack on a teammate.

Colby Darling, 19, and Brian Lasell, 20, pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon in Vermont Superior Court to simple assault on a younger teammate. The attack occurred in the basement of Lasell's home during a team dinner in fall 2012.

If Darling and Lasell follow the terms of state probation until June 16, 2016, and avoid running afoul of the law, they will have the convictions wiped off their criminal records.

Judge James Crucitti said he was willing to accept the deal partly due to statements in court from the victim, who said he wanted to take the higher ground.

The judge told Darling, who attends Johnson State College, and Lasell, who attends Clarkson University, that they need to understand the compassion the victim is showing his former teammates.

Crucitti praised the victim and said he was showing "the strength and character that this football team did not show, the Milton school administration didn't show. He is the one to show it."

The judge told the defendants: "You really need to thank him for having the strength. Many people would have come up here with a much different attitude."

He noted the defendants were fortunate they did not face more serious criminal charges and possibly end up on the sex-offender registry. The allegations included the victim was assaulted with a pool cue.

The victim, who the Burlington Free Press is not identifying due to the nature of the conduct, told the court he thought Lasell and Darling were his friends. He said now when he meets people he wonders whether to fear them.

Under the plea agreement, the defendants were ordered to have no contact with the victim. The one exception is in 15 months they must meet with the victim and a person with expertise on the issue of bullying and its impact on the victim and community.

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The agreement also forbids an early release from probation and requires the defendants meet with the local reparative board.

Both defendants offered apologies to the victim and the community. Lasell turned and faced the victim and his family while speaking in court.

Lasell and Darling were among five former players charged for incidents in the 2011 and 2012 football seasons. There were "multiple victims," the authorities have said, including one boy who later took his own life. Some of the incidents happened on school grounds.

Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan has come under fire from the public, including Milton residents, about his handling of the case. During a Milton School Board meeting this fall, the prosecutor faced several questions from the audience about why he did not file more serious crimes, including sexual assault.

Donovan said in court Tuesday the two defendants are at a crossroads and have a chance to make something out of their lives.

"I personally struggled with this case," he said. "The goal is really about reconciliation."

Donovan, in a moment of self-reflection, told the court that during his high-school days he once sat in the defendant's chair in criminal court but received a second chance that helped him turn things around.

In 2012, while running to unseat Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell, Donovan confirmed he had been charged more than 20 years earlier with aggravated assault as a high-school senior for a fight in Burlington. The case was reduced later to a misdemeanor, and eventually his record was expunged.

"The Milton community lost something here. They lost a sense of community," Donovan said.

He said what started out more like a wrestling incident escalated when Lasell either held down the victim or sat on him, while Darling used the pool cue.

Simple assault is punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.

Burlington lawyer Chris Davis, who is defending Lasell, noted the plea agreement allows for longer state supervision of the defendants.

Davis and defense lawyer Karen Shingler, who represented Darling, said their clients had no criminal records and had been in no trouble before or after this incident.

Shingler said Darling was bothered by the incident, but did not seek a lawyer or his parents when police came to talk to him. He admitted his involvement immediately upon being interviewed.

Simple assault charges against three other former Milton football players are pending at the Burlington courthouse, Donovan told reporters after the sentencing. William Jenkins, 18, Brandon Beliveau, 20, and Ryan Carlson, 20, all of Milton, have denied simple-assault charges.

The Milton School District faced criticism from community members for its handling of the case. The district maintains it lacked what Superintendent John Barone said he considered credible information to alert state officials about abuse.

The School Board voted 5-0 last week to hire former Vermont State Police Capt. Dan Troidl to conduct an internal investigation into whether the district followed all its policies, procedures, rules and regulations.

Contact Mike Donoghue at 660-1845 at mdonoghue@freepressmedia.com. Follow Mike on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FreepsMikeD.