Donations help Internet 'folk hero' post bail

[Silent_Bob]

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120901/NEWS03/709019977

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. — Thanks to a $10,000 grassroots Internet effort by fans and supporters of a Vermont man who's charged with using a large farm tractor to flatten sheriff's department vehicles, Roger Pion walked out of prison Thursday.

The donations allowed Pion to post the cash percentage he needed of his $50,000 bail and walk out of the Northern State Correctional Center in Newport, Vt., — his hometown — attorney David Sleigh of St. Johnsbury, Vt., said Friday.

"He's home and back doing agricultural-related work with his father," Sleigh said.

There is a catch, however. His bail conditions dictate that the younger Pion, 34, can no longer drive his dad's large, Case MX255 farm tractor, the one Vermont State Police say he used Aug. 9 to do $300,000 damage by destroying more than half the Orleans County, Vt., Sheriff's Department's fleet of vehicles.

Once most of their vehicles had been reduced to scrap in just a few minutes, two deputies who ran out of the department to see what was going on in the parking lot were forced to chase Pion in the fleeing tractor on foot down Route 5 in Newport. A passing motorist stopped and picked the deputies up and the pursuit continued.

Officers from several agencies surrounded the tractor and arrested Pion — who was armed with a loaded pistol, police said — at gunpoint.

Within hours, news of the incident, accompanied by photos of the flattened cruisers, was making worldwide headlines. The publicity also made Pion a folk hero of sorts, to some, as evidenced by the cash flow.

During his arrest and subsequent court appearances, Pion has remained tight-lipped, and had little to say following his release, his attorney said.

"He said he's happy to be out of jail. He's in the custody of his dad."

His restrictions are numerous, however, Sleigh said. They include that Pion cannot drive any vehicles, must not have firearms in his possession, and must remain at home while observing a curfew.

"He can work with his dad. They chop and bundle agricultural products such as hay and corn," his attorney said.

Pion is facing 13 charges, and he and Sleigh are awaiting a judges's ruling on motions to consolidate seven felony-level counts of unlawful mischief into a single charge. Sleigh has also moved for dismissal of the most serious charge, aggravated assault on a police officer, for Pion's alleged run in the tractor at the cruiser of pursuing Newport city police officers just before he was taken into custody.