The Latest: Prosecutor: bull loose in road multiple times

RUTLAND, Vt. – The Latest on a man charged with involuntary manslaughter after his bull escaped from its pasture and caused a deadly crash (all times local):

4:45 p.m.

A Vermont prosecutor says police had responded to a bull in the roadway at least three other times last summer before the animal got loose again and caused a fatal accident.

The animal’s owner, Craig Mosher, of Killington, is now charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Investigators say Mosher was told one evening last summer that his bull had escaped but didn’t do enough to look for it.

The July 2015 crash killed 62-year-old Jon Michael Bellis, of Woodbridge, Connecticut.

Mosher was indicted by a grand jury in April and has pleaded not guilty. His attorney has called the crash “a horrible accident.”

Some farmers fear the prosecution could set a dangerous legal precedent.

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2:35 p.m.

A Vermont animal-owner is facing an involuntary manslaughter charge because his bull got loose, wandered onto a road and caused a fatal accident.

Some farmers fear the prosecution of Craig Mosher, of Killington, could set a dangerous legal precedent.

Investigators say Mosher was told one evening last summer that his bull had escaped but didn’t do enough to look for it.

The July 2015 crash killed 62-year-old Jon Michael Bellis, of Woodbridge, Connecticut.

Mosher was indicted by a grand jury in April and has pleaded not guilty. He’s due in court Monday in Rutland. His attorney has called the crash “a horrible accident.”

Vermont Farm Bureau President Joseph Tisbert says the farming community worries landowners might become unwilling to lease pastures to farmers if loose animals could lead to criminal charges.