In a reversal, the Vermont Department of Corrections announced Friday it would not release a notorious repeat offender to the remote Essex County town of Canaan.
Instead, Harley Breer, 55, who has spent 40 years in and out of jail following arrests for crimes including sexual assault and kidnapping, was ordered to remain in prison, Corrections Commissioner Nick Deml said in a press release.
“This decision was based on three primary factors,” Deml said, “the significant risk he poses to public and victim safety, his history of repeated noncompliance with community supervision, and his high likelihood of fleeing from the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and the Vermont criminal justice system.”
Breer’s scheduled release was first reported this week, but the Department of Corrections postponed the decision after the news broke, saying it needed “time to meet with relevant law enforcement officials in Essex County to discuss the public safety concerns in this case.”
Essex County State’s Attorney Vince Illuzzi said Vermont’s most rural region lacked the law enforcement oversight necessary to handle Breer.
“The rural Northeast Kingdom, the town of Canaan, is not an appropriate placement for someone with Mr. Breer’s history,” he told WCAX.
Canaan residents quickly began circulating a petition asking for Breer to be released elsewhere, and for the state to increase local law enforcement resources.
In his Friday statement, Deml said the reversal reflected his department’s “unwavering commitment to public safety,” adding that the department would “conduct a thorough review of policies and make necessary changes to improve the Department’s furlough review process.”
Furlough allows a person serving a prison sentence to be released into the community while still technically under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. Furlough violations often result in a return to prison.
Breer is a repeat offender with a history of violence toward women who has faced more than 20 felony charges in his lifetime. In 2018, he was accused of assaulting and kidnapping his girlfriend about a year after he was released from prison on probation from a previous domestic violence conviction.
Decisions to release an incarcerated person on furlough are made during weekly ‘case staffing’ meetings of corrections staff, and determinations are made based on an individual’s current convictions.
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“The Commissioner was not aware of the initial furlough recommendation,” Haley Sommer, a department spokesperson, said in an email. “When he became aware of the referral, he ordered a comprehensive review of the case, which resulted in the furlough denial.”
Breer is currently being held at Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport. His maximum release date is 2030.
Read the story on VTDigger here: In reversal, Vermont Department of Corrections will not release notorious repeat offender.