Second teenager in court for sexual harassment by gang at drinking party | Local news

BENNINGTON – A second teenager was arraigned Monday morning on two counts of sexual assault without consent after an underage drinking party in Bentington in the spring of 2023 ended with the sexual assault of a juvenile victim and the two accused teens bragging about the assault to friends.

Arron O’Shea, 19, was charged with two felony counts – sexual assault without consent and aggravated sexual assault with more than one person in connection with an underage drinking party in Bennington last year. A second offender, Timothy Veach, 18, was previously charged in February over the incident.

According to a police affidavit, on May 25, 2023, the victim was drinking Twisted Teas with a group of friends after work. The next thing she remembered was waking up in Timothy Veach’s house, a house she had never been to before, with no memory of how she got there or what happened there. When she woke up, the victim remembered seeing Veach and O’Shea both naked. She also remembered not having any pants on.

Later that day, the victim went to the hospital and discovered that the tampon she had been wearing was stuck inside her. One of the friends who were at the party confirmed that the victim had been drunk and unconscious. Another witness told police that later that morning, Veach and O’Shea were giving each other “high fives” and boasting that they had beaten the victim “as a team.”

Veach was released into the custody of his mother after an evidentiary hearing in April. According to a court source, Veach’s release from custody is likely related to his age, which was 17 at the time of the incident. Veach’s defense filed a motion in February to have Veach classified as a “juvenile offender” in family court. No decision has been made yet. O’Shea was also released after his arraignment. It is unclear whether O’Shea’s attorney will also seek youthful offender status.

Juvenile offender status can be applied for by all persons up to the age of 22 who are accused of a criminal offense.

Both O’Shea and Veach face life imprisonment and a minimum of 13 years in prison if found guilty. Both men were ordered by court to provide DNA samples to police to be compared with samples found on the victim. The results are pending. Judge Kerry McDonald-Cady imposed safety conditions on both men, including no contact with anyone involved in the case and random breathalyzer tests.

O’Shea has a criminal record in Vermont. In June 2023, he was charged with attempted murder. The charges are still pending.

According to court affidavits in the case, O’Shea and two others were walking in “the desert,” a densely wooded area behind Henry’s Market on Fillmore Street, when O’Shea allegedly pulled out a Taurus 9mm handgun and shot the victim, who was known to the shooter. O’Shea faces a life sentence in that case as well.

Veach also has a criminal record in Vermont, including petty theft, grand theft and trespassing. It is unclear if and when his case will be transferred to family court under the juvenile justice system.

O’Shea is currently being held without bail at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland. He is charged with attempted murder and was given a $100 bond on the sexual assault charge.

No further hearings have been scheduled.