A lawyer for a former Vermont legislator has requested that he withdraw a plea deal with prosecutors before going to trial on charges he tried to extract sexual favors in exchange for rent.
Norman McAllister pleaded no contest Jan. 10 to charges of prohibited acts and lewd and lascivious conduct and faces up to seven years in prison. In return, prosecutors dropped a sexual-assault charge that could have carried a life sentence upon conviction. A day later, the 65-year-old McAllister said he was reconsidering the plea.
The Burlington Free Press reports McAllister hired a new lawyer, Bob Katims, who filed the plea withdrawal request Monday.
Charges were dismissed against McAllister in a sexual-assault trial involving a different accuser who lied last year. McAllister, whose colleagues voted to suspend him after his arrest, had maintained his innocence.
