I won't try to guess how many times I watched Peter Neary in action at Rutland criminal court, but I've filled in over there enough through the years that I formed an impression of him as smart, pleasant and decent.
The Deputy State's Attorney, who died over the weekend, always seemed to want to be fair. I mostly saw him conducting arraignments, and I can't remember ever seeing a hole in his arguments for more bail or more stringent conditions. I do remember, more than once, his willingness to work with opposing council to get defendants to drug treatment.
His death caught those of us in the newsroom who knew him by surprise. Our crime and court reporter, Brent Curtis, will have a piece in tomorrow's Herald collecting reactions from around the community.
Comments