Bennington, Vermont – An eighteen-year-old man from Bennington faced arraignment on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting two individuals, one with a deadly weapon and violating conditions of his release from a prior assault on a police officer. Dylon Kaley, the defendant, entered not guilty pleas to the charges, which include aggravated assault and violations of his release conditions. If convicted on all counts, Kaley could face up to 35 years in prison. He was held without bail following the arraignment.
During a hearing the next day, a judge decided to keep Kaley at an adult facility in the general population until a weight of evidence hearing could be scheduled due to the violent nature of the attacks. Witnesses reported that Kaley punched an older man in the head until he was unconscious and attacked another intervening individual with a box cutter near Rotary Park. The man who was punched remained unconscious in a hospital in Albany, while the box cutter victim was treated and released.
Kaley was apprehended with fresh bloodstains on his shirt shortly after the incidents occurred. Authorities found an open box cutter in his possession after his arrest, a violation of the conditions of his prior release related to a separate assault on a law enforcement officer. The previous assault charges against him had been sealed, except for the aggravated assault on the police officer, due to the severity of the crime, which is considered under Vermont law as one of the “big twelve” offenses.
According to court documents, Kaley was granted “youthful offender” status for his prior assault charge last April, which landed in Family Court. However, the recent incidents have brought him back to the criminal division, given the violent nature of the attacks in July. Despite Kaley’s attorney seeking youthful offender status for the new charges, a decision regarding his status has yet to be determined.
Further incidents involving Kaley were noted in the affidavit, including a prior altercation in front of a local establishment and an incident involving an elderly woman. He is currently being held at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility until further legal proceedings. The community awaits the outcome of the weight of evidence hearing as the legal process unfolds for Kaley.