Owen Labrie to Be Released on Bail in Prep School Sex Assault Case
The former prep school convicted of sexual assault was released on bail today.
— -- Former prep school student Owen Labrie, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a classmate, was granted release on bail but has to submit to electronic monitoring through an ankle bracelet, a judge said today.
Labrie's lawyer said that prison was an "eye-opening experience" for his client, who had been in administrative segregation and has experienced a range of emotions including being "sad," "nervous" and "bored."
During a trial last year, Labrie was accused of raping a 15-year-old female student at New Hampshire's elite St. Paul's School in 2014. Labrie spent the last two months incarcerated, but the New Hampshire Supreme Court ordered a review of his bail last week.
In August, Labrie, 20, was found guilty of a felony charge of using a computer to lure an underage girl into a sexual encounter, as well as three misdemeanor sexual assault charges and one misdemeanor charge of child endangerment. In October, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison. A judge suspended that sentence and Labrie was freed on bail under curfew at the home of his mother in Tunbridge, Vermont, while Labrie appealed the decision. In March, the court revoked his bail after prosecutors accused him of missing his court-ordered curfew several times.
"It's clear that Mr. Labrie did revoke the trust of the court, that's why bail was revoked," Judge Larry Smukler said today regarding his decision in March.
At the bail hearing in Merrimack County Superior Court today, Labrie, who had been held in administrative segregation due to safety concerns, according to his lawyer, appeared in an orange prison uniform.
The prosecutor, who had argued that Labrie remain in prison, said the ankle bracelet requires two hours of charging every day and Labrie's responsibility to make sure it is charged.
"We do not believe the defendant is likely to adhere to any conditions of his bail," the prosecutor said.
Labrie's attorney called prison a "really eye-opening experience" for his client, who receives visitors and letters from friends and family.
"For someone who has never been incarcerated for one hour, two months is a very long time," Labrie's attorney said today.
Labrie alleged that he and the victim had consensual sexual contact but he denied having intercourse with her.
"He has been in a wave of emotions," Labrie's attorney said today about his time in prison, including "sad," "nervous" and "bored."
"Maybe he doesn’t come from a wealthy family, but he comes from a very supportive family," Labrie's attorney said.
The New Hampshire attorney general's office is handling Labrie's appeal.
"We cannot say the defendant is not a risk to the community," the prosecutor said.
ABC News' Julia Jacobo and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
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