Vt. Corrections delays release of notorious repeat offender Harley Breer

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – The expected release of one of Vermont’s most notorious career criminals has prompted concerns in the community where he plans to live, but Vermont Corrections officials say Harley Breer’s release has now been delayed.

Breer has been in and out of jail since the late 1980s for a variety of crimes, including kidnapping, sexual assault, and assault. He has been in prison since his arrest following a five-day manhunt in April 2021. His minimum release date was Dec. 1, 2024, and Vermont’s Department of Corrections confirmed to WCAX News the state is preparing Breer for release. The news was first reported by freelance journalist Mike Donoghue. But Wednesday morning, a DOC spokesperson told WCAX News that they are now delaying Breer’s release until at least next week. We don’t know why.

Word of Breer’s release sent shockwaves through the small town of Canaan. “We got a close community here and I don’t think we need to be releasing a habitual offender like that into this community,” said Jeffery Juskewicz, a local resident.

Breer has been behind bars since his most recent arrest after a manhunt in 2021, serving the minimum amount of a four-to-10-year sentence. He passed his minimum release date at the beginning of December and while delayed, the DOC has been preparing to release him on furlough.

“Eventually, after he serves his time, he’s going to have to be released, but hopefully not released into this small community that barely has any police presence,” said Blanca d’Anjou of Canaan.

Essex County State’s Attorney Vince Illuzzi also questions the decision to release Breer to live in the community. “The rural Northeast Kingdom, the town of Canaan, is not an appropriate placement for someone with Mr. Breer’s history,” he said.

Illuzzi expressed frustration with the DOC for not notifying local law enforcement of their plan first. A notice from DOC did go out to law enforcement agencies in central Vermont, where Breer is from. Sources tell WCAX News that the notice states Breer is considered at high risk to re-offend.

Illuzzi says his remote county is ill-equipped to keep track of an offender like Breer. “When you have a rural area with no major law enforcement presence. and a department of corrections office that will supervise him almost an hour away, that spells trouble on the line,” he said.

Canaan is covered part-time by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Border Patrol. If Breer is released, Illuzzi says he communicated to DOC Commissioner Nick Deml that it be in a location with an adequate police presence.

And local residents echoed those hopes. “Peoples in jail — they ought to stay in jail, not loose to public peoples and do more harm. Eventually, they’re going to do it again,” said Canaan resident Marc Marchessault.

HARLEY BREER’S LIST OF CRIMES IS LONG

Harley Breer’s first brush with the law dates back to the ‘80s.

His first rape charge came in 1990. Dozens of felony charges would follow, including kidnappings. In one of his most notorious, a brutal kidnapping case in Barre in 1999, Breer abducted his ex-girlfriend’s mother, tied her up, and was accused of sexually assaulting her before abandoning the woman at a remote hunting camp. That crime put him away for eight years. But he did not leave prison rehabilitated.

Breer was arrested again in In 2011 for beating and raping another girlfriend and stealing her truck. He was captured in New Hampshire.

While awaiting trial, he was arrested again for contacting his victims.

Breer’s multiple charges were rolled into a plea deal in 2017. He received credit for the five years he served and his 20 to 45 year sentence was suspended. He was placed on probation for 45 years and claimed to be a “changed man.” “Some of it’s maturity, some of it’s — I’ve grown up. But today, I find myself looking at different things, like how I became a grandfather in the last five years. So, I’ve got a different set of priorities,” Breer said at the time.

But one year later he was back in custody again accused of kidnapping and assault. This time, he received more serious charges of being a “habitual offender.” He pleaded no contest and got probation again.

And just about a year later, in 2021, Breer triggered a manhunt after cutting off his ankle bracelet and escaping house arrest. It would be another month before authorities would find Breer and arrest him. The then 53-year-old took another plea deal and was sentenced to four to ten years in prison and 20 years of probation.

And last month, with credit for time served, Breer reached his minimum release date.

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