Montpelier man sent on rider for aggravated battery
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PARIS — A man who pleaded guilty to an amended charge for an alleged 2023 sexual battery has been sent on a rider.
Adrian Harley Salerno, 27, was initially charged with rape but pleaded guilty to a felony for aggravated battery as part of a plea agreement with the Bear Lake County Prosecutor’s Office.
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At a hearing Thursday morning, District Judge Cody Brower sentenced Salerno to a rider with an underlying prison sentence of five to 11 years.
A rider program is where a judge sends a person to prison for up to a year to undergo different treatment programs. When the inmate has completed the program, the judge can then decide to send them back to prison for their sentence or release them on probation.
During the hearing, Brower explained to Salerno that he considered denying the plea deal and its recommendation of a rider over “great concerns” for the protection of the community. In the end, though, the judge told Salerno that his reputation as a rule-follower at Caribou County Jail and willingness to abide by regulations put forth by the court and by his defense attorney aided in Brower’s decision to grant the recommended penalty.
“Mr. Salerno, I invite you to continue your reflection,” Brower told Salerno. “… There’s a victim that deserves some peace, and who deserves some recognition. And that’s something that you can take a part in giving her — through your accountability.
The victim was not present for the hearing and did not provide prosecuting attorney Adam McKenzie with a written statement.
Salerno was charged in October for the Aug. 22 sexual assault.
The victim told police that she fell asleep on a couch at a friend’s house and woke in the middle of the night to find Salerno sexually assaulting her. She said she yelled and Salerno ran away.
A warrant was issued for Salerno’s arrest and he was placed under arrest following a high-speed chase after which he was charged with the rape as well as eluding an officer and three counts of burglary.
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During Thursday’s hearing, Brower addressed a psychosexual evaluation and pre-sentence investigation which, according to the judge, identified Salerno as a “well above average risk” to the community and a “high risk” to reoffend.
Brower urged Salerno to “start considering other people and their rights” and suggested alcohol could play into the defendant’s inability to manage his “thought patterns.”
Salerno nodded toward the judge throughout the statement.
Brower concluded by, again, telling Salerno how close he was to receiving a much stricter sentence — one that would likely have led to Salerno retracting his guilty plea. He implored Salerno to “take advantage” of that decision.
In addition to the rider, Salerno was ordered to pay court costs along with a $1,000 fine and $800 in restitution for the cost of the public defender.
Additionally, Salerno was recently sentenced to a rider with an underlying prison sentence of three to five years for the burglary and eluding an officer charge. Brower ruled Thursday that the two sentences would be served concurrently.