Orleans County Prosecutor Criticizes Judge for Low Bail Decisions
The Orleans County State’s Attorney, Farzana Leyva, took the rare step of publicly expressing disappointment in recent bail decisions made by a judge with a controversial history in criminal court cases. In two press releases on Thursday, Leyva expressed disappointment in the bail decisions by Orleans County Superior Court Family Division Judge Justin P. Jiron. Following public outcry over these and similar rulings, the Vermont judiciary reassigned Jiron from criminal court to family court in December 2023. On Tuesday, Burton Jacobs Jr. was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated domestic assault and domestic assault. Two months before the arrest, Jacobs Jr. was convicted of domestic assault by a jury and placed on probation. The State requested Jacobs to be held without bail. The State also sought $25,000 bail for the new charges. Judge Jiron denied the state’s requests and set bail at $1,000 during Jacobs’s hearing on Thursday. Also on Thursday, Michael Liberta was arraigned on two counts of domestic assault and one count of violation of conditions of release. Liberta is currently facing eight pending cases, including charges of aggravated domestic assault. The State requested a high bail amount due to Liberta’s legal exposure and the nature of the crimes. Judge Jiron set bail at $1,000. Judge Jiron was a Caledonia Superior Court Criminal Division Judge and made similar decisions while serving Caledonia County, earning him a slew of public criticisms.
