Vice Article Leads to Labrie Bail Revocation Request

CONCORD, NH - Prosecutors in Merrimack County have requested to have Owen Labrie’s bail revoked after an online article led to an investigation of alleged curfew violation in his bail provisions, according to WMUR-TV.

According to the report, an article published after a journalist’s chance encounter with Labrie on a subway train in Cambridge, MA – “My Surreal Train Ride with One of New England's Most Notorious Sex Offenders,” posted earlier this month on VICE.com – led to prosecutors inquiring about his curfew provisions after he mentioned being worried about the subway train stalling and him missing curfew.

Eight different times since being released on bail after being found guilty of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and felony prohibited use of a computer, Labrie allegedly missed curfew, a violation of his bail provisions, according to the report.

Prosecutors filed paperwork with the court requesting that Labrie’s bail be revoked and he be sent to jail pending his appeal, after being sentenced to jail for a year.

Labrie’s attorney offered a statement saying that they had no information about the allegation by prosecutors.

Susan Zalkind was one of numerous journalists sent to Concord to cover the trial for VICE, and wrote that she “recognized him instantly” while on the train. She walked over to speak him and he reportedly told her that he could have settled the case but it was his belief that he knew the truth and was not guilty. Zalkind noted that she “started to feel bad for him” and wondered if the case was “an elaborate plot.” She closed her article by saying, “We got off at South Station in Boston. I took a few steps, and I realized he'd been charming people the same way he did me his entire life.”

According to press reports, a hearing will be held on Friday.

Read the entire story on wmur.com.

Caption: Owen Labrie in Merrimack County Superior Court; St. Paul’s School in Concord. Credit: Jim Cole, pool photographer