Gun charges sought in death of Charlton teen

[tele_mark]

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/FRONTPAGENEWS/70411004

Gun charges sought in death of teen

By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF


CHARLTON— Authorities are seeking firearms charges against a Charlton man in connection with last month’s suicide death of a Shepherd Hill Regional High School senior.

Charlton police and state police detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office have applied in court for complaints against Mark C. Vigeant, 45, of 1 Clark Road, in connection with the death of Jeremy D. Carroll, according to Timothy J. Connolly, spokesman for District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.

The charges being sought against Mr. Vigeant are for improper storage of a firearms and possession of a firearm without an FID card.

Mr. Vigeant’s son, Kevin Vigeant, was the last one to see Jeremy alive, according to authorities.

Jeremy was last seen at 2:50 p.m. March 13 inside the Vigeant family home at the corner of Beach and Clark roads in Charlton. Robin Carroll, Jeremy’s mother, arrived at the spot between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. the same day to pick up her son, but he was nowhere to be found.

Jeremy’s body was found 15 days later in snow-encrusted woods near Potter Village Road, about 300 yards from where he was last seen.

Assistant Medical Examiner William Zane, who conducted the autopsy, ruled that Jeremy died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

On April 26, Mr. Vigeant is due to face a court magistrate in Dudley District Court, at which time the magistrate will hear evidence and then rule whether there is enough probable cause to charge Mr. Vigeant on the complaints.

 

[EddieCoyle]

This man and thousands like him were made criminals by the state in 1998.

 

[daceman63]

Welcome to Massachusetts....tha land where its always someone elses fault.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Gonna be interesting to see how they prove the firearm did not have a trigger lock or cable lock on it when stolen.

 

[FITH]

Poss. w/out a FID.....anyone know what kind of rifle he did this with.....?? Tough for a kid or more person to reach the trigger..... This state sucks!!!!!!!!!

 

[TomH]

If he did indeed leave the gun around unlocked, I think the feeling of guilt associated with it is enough punishment.... That said, suicide isn't something you can stop if someone is intent on doing it, they'd just find another way.

-Tom

 

[drgrant]

Gonna be interesting to see how they prove the firearm did not have a trigger lock or cable lock on it when stolen.

Pretty easy if some of the people involved on the defense side did something stupid like run their mouth to the PD. (Which happens a
lot, because a lot of people don't know/understand their rights. )

Regardless, "safe storage" is probably the least of this guy's problems.

-Mike

 

[KMaurer]

If he did indeed leave the gun around unlocked, I think the feeling of guilt associated with it is enough punishment....

I don't have any idea how this person had his firearms stored or a lot of other details, so I'm not commenting on this case specifically. That having been said, I really hate the attitude as a general response when something bad happens due (partially) to someone's careless storage or handling of a firearm. It ends up making life that much more difficult for the rest of us. 30 years ago it was the same response that was common when some drunk driver finally managed to kill someone else. Of course they fell terrible about it. Who gives a shite! We don't need more gun laws, but we sure as hell need to hold each other responsible for our actions. Giving people a pass because "they've already suffered more than anything we could add" simply guarantees that we're going to be the target for a never-ending list of demands for tighter safe storage laws; "safer" guns; requirements for liability insurance, monitored alarm systems, periodic police inspections, etc. If you've got guns and there are people around your house who aren't qualified, authorized users of your firearms, then it's not an accident; it's negligence and deserves to be treated as such.

Ken

 

[TomH]

I see your point there KMaurer, he should be held accountable for any mistakes he made. I'm just wondering if the gun was locked up, and he still somehow got the gun, that wouldn't really be his fault then. Or if he broke in or disregarded warnings not to touch the firearm, etc. More info is really needed to see the details surrounding how the kid got the gun. Some states don't require you to lock up a gun, so is it really your fault if someone takes his/her life with a firearm just because you own it?

 

[csharpdev]

If someone steals your car and drives off a cliff should you be held leagally responsible for their death?

 

[sksguns]

So the kid steals a gun and kills himself and it's the owner's fault.........

It's the owner's fault the kid is a thief?

It's the owner's fault the kid is mentally unstable?

It's the owner's fault his privacy and posessions were violated?



I'm sick of everyone else being responsible for tehe irresponsible acts of others.

The kid stole a gun and killed himself. Among other things he is a thief.

The gun was recovered and the kid is dead. I'm happy he accomplished his goal and breathes no more. I'm also happy the firearm was recovered and didn't get into another criminal's hands.

One less idiot in the world. I'm fine with it.

If the gun owner broke laws of ownership, ie: no license or fid, then he should deal with that. Screw the safe storage laws. Just more BS to make criminals out of law abiding citizens

 

[drgrant]

If someone steals your car and drives off a cliff should you be held leagally responsible for their death?

And that is the perennial question... where do we draw the line on someone
being "negligent"?

If this kid got it because the guy's son gave it to him, knowing full well
that he'd kill himself with it, then I'd say that's negligence- because that's
not any different than giving an 8 year old the keys to your car and telling
him to drive down to the grocery store and buy a jug of milk for you.

On the other hand if the kid was over at their house, and knew they
had a gun somewhere, and then pried open a cheap gun cabinet, stole
it, and shot himself with it, how is the owner really responsible?

"Vicarious Liability" if misused can be a dangerous concept.... eg, the
more it is abused then the more that things can get out of whack
with the way they should be.

-Mike

 

[Coyote33]

Hearing for gun owner set for July
Hunting rifle is linked to March death of teen

http://www.telegram.com/article/20070525/NEWS/705250515

Friday, May 25, 2007
Hearing for gun owner set for July

Hunting rifle is linked to March death of teen

By Craig S. Semon TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Mark C. Vigeant, 45, of Charlton pleaded not guilty in Dudley District Court. (ED COLLIER)
Enlarge photo


CHARLTON— A July pretrial hearing is slated for a Charlton man in connection with the death of a Shepherd Hill Regional High School senior.

Mark C. Vigeant, 45, of 1 Clark Road, is being charged with improper storage of a rifle/shotgun near a minor. The firearm in question, a Ruger Rifle 10-22 automatic Bearcat, was taken from the home and is believed to be the same firearm that Shepherd Hill Regional High School senior Jeremy D. Carroll used to take his own life.

Mr. Vigeant pleaded not guilty yesterday in Dudley District Court and was released on $1,000 personal recognizance. He is due back in court for his pretrial hearing July 12.


Mr. Carroll was last seen at 2:50 p.m. March 13 in the driveway of the Vigeant home at Beach and Clark roads. His body was found 15 days later in snow-encrusted woods near Potter Village Road, about 300 yards from where he was last seen.

The defendant’s son, Kevin Vigeant, was the last person to see Mr. Carroll alive, according to authorities.

Assistant Medical Examiner William Zane conducted the autopsy and ruled that the 17-year-old senior died of a self-inflicted, .22-caliber shot to the head.

The day before authorities found Mr. Carroll’s body, Mr. Vigeant went to Charlton police to report the rifle stolen from his home. The firearm had been given to Mr. Vigeant more than 20 years ago by a friend, according to the police report.

Mr. Vigeant advised police that the small-game hunting rifle was not locked and had been left out in the dining room and kitchen area of his home. A status check of Mr. Vigeant shows that his Firearms Identification Card and license to carry expired in 2004.

Last month, Police Chief James A. Pervier said Mr. Vigeant could have easily renewed his FID card because nothing in his history would have precluded him from getting one.

Mr. Carroll’s body and Mr. Vigeant’s missing rifle were recovered shortly after 11 a.m. March 28 in the woods near Mr. Vigeant’s home. The rifle was taken as evidence in the death.

Mr. Vigeant, who works at Coghlin Electric in Worcester, is being represented by Worcester-based lawyer Vincent F. Ricciardi. Wearing a blue blazer, Mr. Vigeant stood silently for his arraignment yesterday in front of Judge Neil G. Snider.

After being dismissed, Mr. Vigeant exited the courthouse, regrouped with several family members, and drove away in a Toyota Corolla LE, which had a “Shepherd Hill” decal in the back window

???

 

[Major D Ret.]

Let's look at Japan.

Gun ownership per capita - approximately zero.

Suicides per year - thirty thousand plus.

Conclusion: Where there's a will, there's a way.

There being no shortage of children and curious idiots on this
planet, I'm a proponent of safe storage, within limits. But, if
someone finds a gun and deliberately offs himself with it, I just
don't see how the owner of the gun is in any way liable UNLESS he knew the deceased was suicidal and likely to access the gun.

MAJOR D

 

[Admin]

I agree 110% Marjor D.

The sad thing is this guy is in MA and they want to take him down because he's a criminal.

 

[Admin]

Last month, Police Chief James A. Pervier said Mr. Vigeant could have easily renewed his FID card because nothing in his history would have precluded him from getting one.

Oh and Chief Pervier you're a hero...

I'm sure the world is a better place because of cowards like you.

 

[FITH]

WELL.... this is a heated topic!
The line I will draw is..Did he take any steps to keep the Firearm out of the hands of this kid,or anyone else?
If he had it standing up in the corner of the living room, dining room..etc... He is guilty of neg.
If it was on top of a Hutch.. high on the wall...( can show any means of "trying" to keep it out of the hands) He did nothing wrong

All goes back to if there is a will...then there is a way!

 

[Admin]

If he had it standing up in the corner of the living room, dining room..etc... He is guilty of neg.

You've been in communisim too long....

45+ other states keeping a gun at your residence unsecured is not a crime.

We should make every car have the club so thefts dont lead to auto deaths....

 

[FITH]

But communisim is all i know[sad2]

I need to be free!!

 

[Carguy]

If someone steals your car and drives off a cliff should you be held leagally responsible for their death?

No

But that said there are laws and if you don't maintain your car so if doesn't pass inspection, you allow someone to drive it and it happens to go off of a cliff...you may be liable as you have broken the law and that negligence may have contributed to the "accident".

The same holds true for firearms saftey. Whether or not you like the Ma GLs, they are there and we all abide by them to participate in our hobby. If you want to own a firearm you need to know the law, follow it and take responsibility for your actions, period.

 

[KMaurer]

You've been in communisim too long....

45+ other states keeping a gun at your residence unsecured is not a crime.

We should make every car have the club so thefts dont lead to auto deaths....

Sorry, D, but you're starting to confuse common sense with communism. (I know they both start out with the same letters, but there's really a big difference.) There's no law against chamber checking your gun by pointing it at your foot and pressing the trigger (nor should there be), but it's still negligence.

Ken

 

[Admin]

Leaving a gun in the corner of your bed room unloaded is negligence?

There's no law against chamber checking your gun by pointing it at your foot and pressing the trigger (nor should there be), but it's still negligence.

Yeah because that's the same as a .22lr leaned up againt the bedroom wall unloaded...

I can't believe nobody from any generation of my family was gunned down by these unsecured firearms.

 

[Jaxon]

Mr. Vigeant advised police that the small-game hunting rifle was not locked and had been left out in the dining room and kitchen area of his home. A status check of Mr. Vigeant shows that his Firearms Identification Card and license to carry expired in 2004.

He literally hung himself.

ADMIT NOTHING
DENY EVERYTHING
DEMAND PROOF.

 

[Joe R.]

"Somewhere in the middle you two shall meet." seems to fit here Derek and Ken. I fall somewhere in between you two but I'm closer to Derek's line. I visit friends houses in other states that have guns in cabinets and cases with no trigger locks on them and that is legal. Liability is something that everybody has to worry about but where is the line drawn? You buy cheap safes and the bad guy get it open or a bad guy gets into your good safe and steals your gun or just picks up the gun you had in the corner unloaded and locked- which is worse in the eyes of the law? Lawyers and others have taken the definition of personal accountability and have made it so that just about any situation can be made into your fault and convince a jury to find you negligent. It used to be that " a mans home was his castle" and the front door was the barrier - now we've made it a 1' x 2' square in the bedroom that barely holds a good thought.

As far as the car anology, my car runs and passed the last safety inspection and is registered. If some f***tard steals it and drives off of a cliff, all that listed info doesn't matter if he kills himself with it. Somebody tries to blame me for that one will be the recipient of the first punch of the " Joe R's mental timeout in the PRM" that day!

I hate this place!

Joe R.

 

[sksguns]

" It used to be that " a mans home was his castle" and the front door was the barrier - now we've made it a 1' x 2' square in the bedroom that barely holds a good thought. Joe R.

That says it all right there.

 

[Pilgrim]

If someone in my house took a kitchen knife and intentionally cut their wrists, would I be charged with a crime?

If someone in my house went under the sink and intentionally drank a bottle of Drano, would I be charged with a crime?

I think not.

The only difference is the word 'gun' which gets the Commies panties in a twist.

 

[Coyote33]

I just get a kick out of "The firearm in question, a Ruger Rifle 10-22 automatic Bearcat".

There is such a thing as a Ruger Bearcat, but it is not a rifle nor a 10-22 nor an automatic. Something rotten in their "reporting".

 

[FITH]

If someone in my house took a kitchen knife and intentionally cut their wrists, would I be charged with a crime?

If someone in my house went under the sink and intentionally drank a bottle of Drano, would I be charged with a crime?

I think not.

The only difference is the word 'gun' which gets the Commies panties in a twist.

Ok the point is there...yet you don't need a Lic. to have a knife or Drano..... and if you left your knife or drano sitting in the corner ...there is negligents!


And the whole will there's a way thing... yes it's true..BUT NOT with my stuff your not going to!

 

[sksguns]

a mans home was his castle" and the front door was the barrier [/B]- now we've made it a 1' x 2' square in the bedroom that barely holds a good thought. Joe R.

Go back to what JoeR. said. Once it's in my house the governement needs to step back. it's not like he left the gun on the front lawn.

 

[Admin]

Ok the point is there...yet you don't need a Lic. to have a knife or Drano..... and if you left your knife or drano sitting in the corner ...there is negligents!


And the whole will there's a way thing... yes it's true..BUT NOT with my stuff your not going to!

You shouldn't need a license for a gun.