CHELSEA — A 23-year-old Washington, Vt., man entered not guilty pleas on Wednesday to two charges stemming from a collision in Orange, Vt., last October that killed 16-year-old Kaylee Bailey.
Kyle Hunt pleaded not guilty in Orange Superior Court to a felony charge of vehicle operation-gross negligence/fatal and to a misdemeanor charge of giving false information to a law enforcement officer.
If convicted of the felony, Hunt could face 15 years in prison and a fine of $15,000. The misdemeanor carries a sentence of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Judge Timothy Tomasi did not find probable cause for two other charges prosecutors had sought in the case, obstruction of justice and impeding an investigation.
Hunt was released on personal recognizance. The conditions of his release require that he come to court when required, give his attorney and the court clerk his address and phone number and alert them to any changes.
He is additionally barred from contacting the victim’s boyfriend, Kevin Buick, and her friend, Jakob Spencer, both of whom were riding dirt bikes with her on the day of the crash, Oct. 5, 2025.
Bailey, Buick and Spencer were riding their dirt bikes on Richardson Road toward Notch Trail Road when Hunt, who was driving a Subaru Crosstrek, took a left turn onto Morrie Road in front of Bailey, according to the affidavit in the case.
Spencer, who was riding behind Bailey, told investigators he did not see Hunt signal the turn and that the vehicle seemed to accelerate.
The crash took place near the intersection of 232 Richardson Road and Morrie Road at about 5:15 p.m., according to the affidavit in the case.
Bailey was pronounced dead at the scene. The affidavit in the case says she died of “blunt force trauma of torso and extremities” and that her death was “likely on impact.”
Spencer also told Vermont State Police investigators that after the crash he smelled alcohol and that Hunt told him he was drunk. Spencer also said he saw Hunt throw alcohol containers over an embankment near the scene. Investigators later found alcohol containers in the area, according to court records.
Hunt told investigators that at the time of the crash he was heading home to Washington, Vt., from Walmart in Woodsville when he saw a dirt bike “fly” by him. He said he thought the first dirt bike was alone and his vision was impaired by “the glare of the sun.”
He told investigators that before the crash he had eaten a chicken sandwich and that he had consumed one large can of beer at noon.
About 90 minutes after the collision, Vermont State Police documented Hunt’s blood alcohol concentration at 0.036%. The legal limit is 0.08%.
“The administration of the Preliminary Breath Test was delayed due to Kyle vomiting in Trooper Helpard’s cruiser,” the affidavit said.
A subsequent blood test revealed that Hunt also had THC in his system at the time of the crash.
Supporters of Hunt and Bailey’s survivors both were present in court on Wednesday morning.
Following the arraignment, Hunt declined to comment. His mother, who gave him a hug, said, “We’re all hurting,” before declining to comment further.
Hunt’s defense attorney Timothy Fair, of the Williston, Vt.-based firm Fair Law Vermont, declined to comment.
Kaylee’s mother, Heather Bailey, expressed frustration with the pace of the prosecution: “This has gone on long enough. (…) My daughter got killed.”
Bailey’s family and supporters had turned up at the courthouse in February for what they thought would be Hunt’s arraignment, only to be told that the hearing had been delayed.
Prosecutor Colin Seaman said following Wednesday’s hearing that the delay between the accident and the arraignment had to do with the time it took for accident reconstruction and the analysis of samples.
While many relatives and friends were present on Wednesday, Buick, Kaylee’s boyfriend, was not. He was “upset he couldn’t make it” as he was on vacation, Heather Bailey, of Bradford, Vt., said.
He was on a vacation that Kaylee would have joined him on. She “should’ve been on the plane,” her mother said.
Several of the cars in the parking lot had bright pink signs in the windows that said, “Justice for Kaylee Anne.”
“We’re not giving up,” Heather Bailey said.