Wednesday, 15 October 2008

By ANDREW MARTIN

The state Attorney General’s office is currently looking into denying one Charlestown Town Councilor’s court appeal, according to the Town Solicitor.

Charlestown Solicitor Robert E. Craven said the AG’s stance is that acting council President James M. Mageau has no right to appeal his case to Superior Court. The reason is that the case was filed and typically these kinds of cases are not appealed, Craven added.

But Mageau said he is still appealing the verdict handed down Sept. 22 by Fourth District Court Associate Justice William C. Clifton. As a result of the appeal, the judge’s verdict is put on hold. Clifton’s decision was that the case be filed for one year on the condition that Mageau stay out of trouble and pay court costs. He was also ordered to attend anger management counseling, as Mageau seemed like a “volatile, angry” person, according to Clifton.

Clifton suggested that Mageau make restitution for any damage to Vanover’s camera. A no-contact order was also put into effect between Mageau and Vanover. The case stems back to an incident between the two that took place July 14, a night of a regularly scheduled meeting.

At the council meeting Monday night, some tempers flared while discussing the invoice from Coventry Town Solicitor Patrick Sullivan, who represented Charlestown in the case.. Craven could not represent Mageau because it was a conflict of interest since Mageau sat on the council that appointed the solicitor.

The council approved the $3,000 invoice on a 3-1 vote, councilor Harriet A. Allen against. Allen was unsatisfied with Sullivan’s work in the court room. In particular, she did not like that he asked for leniency from Clifton while rendering Mageau’s verdict. She then brought up that he should have taken into account past cases against the councilor that were subsequently expunged.

Mageau responded by saying that filed cases are not the same as convictions. “And the judge ignored [Sullivan’s] recommendation anyway and did what he thought was correct,” the councilor added.