A panel of the Vermont Supreme Court is considering whether a teenager charged with planning a shooting at his former high school should be held without bail even though he never carried out the crime.
An attorney for 18-year-old Jack Sawyer argued Tuesday that while Sawyer made preparations for a shooting at the Fair Haven Union High School he didn't take any concrete steps that under Vermont law justify charges that include attempted aggravated murder, which allows a judge to reject bail.
Prosecutors counter that Sawyer took enough steps toward committing the crime that a lower court ruling denying Sawyer bail was correct.
Sawyer's arrest last month prompted Republican Governor Phil Scott to call for gun restrictions in the state, the first of which passed the Legislature last week.
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