Judge to decide whether West Scranton teen should stay in jail
Published: July 1, 2009
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share thisA Lackawanna County judge may decide today whether a recent West Scranton High School graduate will stay in prison for violating his bail on a drunken driving charge.
Chase Passeri, 18, was charged with drunken driving after a Dec. 6 wreck in Newton Twp. that nearly severed his arm and injured his four passengers, including a 14-year-old girl.
His bail was revoked after he was cited again in early June for underage drinking. Scranton police allegedly found him and several other teens parked in a cemetery with several 12-packs of beer, prosecutors said.
Mr. Passeri's attorney, Jason Mattioli, has asked Judge Michael Barrasse to release the teen from prison so he can seek treatment. On Tuesday, he presented more information about Mr. Passeri's plan for treatment if he were to be released.
Efforts to reach Mr. Mattioli were unsuccessful Tuesday.
Deputy District Attorney Maryann Grippo gave Judge Barrasse dozens of pages of transcribed phone conversations Mr. Passeri has had since he was jailed on the bail violation, which she believes show Mr. Passeri's failure to take responsibility for his actions.
"He feels like a victim, that there's a plot against him," Ms. Grippo said. "My concern is that he is still not making the connection between his actions and the consequences."
In one of those conversations, Mr. Passeri's mother told him he was the "Britney Spears of Lackawanna County," persecuted by prosecutors because he is a celebrity, Ms. Grippo said.
She said later statements like those make her believe Mr. Passeri's family is also not taking his addictions seriously.
"If his family won't acknowledge he has a problem, how can they support his sobriety?" she asked.
Judge Barrasse will review the information presented at Tuesday's hearing before deciding whether to release Mr. Passeri from prison.
Contact the writer: enissley@timesshamrock.com
59 posted comments
I agree about not faulting a parents love for their child. So now this family has to build on this strength. The family needs to dig deep into their souls and find out why this has all happened. This takes work and commitment on the parent and teen. Again, I believe a good therapist could help them with this. If this does not get taken care of now, the teen will not heal.
Now let the defending of this law breaking young man begin because it is going to. But again facts are facts people he did the crimes he must pay the price and do the time.