BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The lawyer representing a notorious Burlington repeat offender says statements from the Burlington Police Department are hurting his case and violating prosecutorial rules.
Josh O’Hara, the public defender for Michael Reynolds, 47, filed a motion in Vermont Superior Court Tuesday night asking a judge to “preclude further extrajudicial statements ‘that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public condemnation’ of Mr. Reynolds by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office or by ‘investigators, law enforcement personnel, employees or other persons assisting or associated with the prosecutor in this criminal case who are in employment or under the control of’ the Chittenden State’s Attorney’s Office.”
O’Hara highlights statements made in a Burlington Police press release about Reynolds, which was distributed on Dec. 30, 2024. In it, Chief Jon Murad says that Reynolds has harmed huge numbers of people and that Reynolds has exhausted “outlets of charity, treatment, or relief, and burned bridges with entities that seek to help the disadvantaged.” Murad also called Reynolds’ behavior “violent, antisocial, incorrigible and antisocial.”
O’Hara says Murad’s comments could lead to Reynolds not getting a fair trial in Chittenden County, or beyond.
“The statements have no purpose aside from creating a substantial likelihood of public condemnation, a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct,” O’Hara wrote in the motion.
WCAX News reached out to Chief Murad for comment but had not yet heard back when this story was published.
Reynolds has an extensive criminal history with 162 misdemeanor charges and 19 felony charges which have resulted in 48 convictions. Police say more than 170 trespass notices have been filed against Reynolds by businesses, property owners and social service providers.
In court on Tuesday, O’Hara said Reynolds will have a competency evaluation to determine how his 18 open cases will move forward. Reynolds has a number of active conditions of release.