NEWPORT — A 27-year-old Claremont man who was among four men charged in a vandalism spree in which school bus windows were smashed and private property defaced with racist slurs in Sullivan County last year has pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and will avoid jail time if he stays out of further trouble.
Samuel Bathrick, of Mulberry Street in Claremont, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of conspiracy criminal mischief and was sentenced to six months in Sullivan County House of Corrections, all suspended for two years, providing he completes any rehabilitation programs ordered by corrections officials and remains on good behavior, according to state court records.
Numerous other charges, including those carrying enhanced hate crime penalties, were dropped as part of the negotiated plea deal.
Police said that Bathrick and three other alleged accomplices caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage when they vandalized school buses parked at the town’s public works department and motor vehicles at a dealership. They also are accused of scrawling racist graffiti and other derogatory words at a homes in Newport.
Charges against two other of the codefendants, Brandon Teeter and Devin Croteau, remain pending.
Charges against a fourth codefendant, Zachery Fuller, were dropped in May after the court found he was not competent to stand trial.