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Vt. mother accused of killing social worker arraigned

Hundreds of people gathered Sunday for a vigil in Sobel’s memory. About 300 people attended a vigil that began at a labor hall and ended at the site where Sobel was shot Friday as she left work.

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Jody Herring has been charged in the shooting death of Sobel on Friday.

This photo provided by the Barre City Police Department shows Jody Herring.

Speaking Saturday night, Gov. Peter Shumlin said there had been no prior indication that Sobel was in any danger. No charges have been filed related to the shooting death of her relatives. Sobel’s murder has highlighted the dangers involved in their work, including those posed by a current of deeply negative perception towards the agency in the state.

A woman who allegedly shot and killed a social worker last week just outside Montpelier in Barre, Vt., appeared in court Monday.

Authorities investigate the scene of multiple deaths at a home in Berlin, Vt., on Saturday, August 8, 2015.

Vermont State Police originally said they were assisting Berlin officers with a death investigation. “I think every day these folks are heroes in our community”, Cohen says.

Prosecutors believe Herring killed Sobel because she was upset over losing custody of her daughter.

Police did not provide any information about the condition of the bodies found Saturday.

Herring was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, taken to the state police barracks in Rockingham, processed and then released on a citation to appear in court on the misdemeanor DUI-2 charge.

Herring, 40, pleaded not guilty on Monday to a charge of first-degree murder and is being held without bail at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, according to WFFF, a CNN affiliate.

Prosecutors have said they believe Herring killed two cousins and an aunt before she shot and killed Sobel.

Washington County States’ Attorney Scott Williams, who was nearby and heard the shots, saw Herring standing near Sobel’s body still holding the.270-caliber hunting rifle, police said in the court documents. Williams was able to get the gun from her and he and bystanders subdued her. She was “very calm and laughing during the entire interaction”, and “making small talk about the incident like it was no big deal”.

“Because of the changing attitude toward DCF workers, it has been my concern, generally, that the hateful language thats used in talking about their heroic work leads to an environment of disrespect and disrespect often leads to hateful actions, ” Shumlin said.

Barre Police Chief Tim Bombardier would not comment on whether Jody Herring had obtained the rifle legitimately or what may have triggered her to act Friday – weeks after losing custody of her daughter. Her next court appearance in that case is scheduled for October. 15.

“If you think anything of your sister you’ll get ahold of me now or ASAP”, she said in the first message to Dwayne Herring.

The Burlington Free Press reported that Tiffany Herring, 23, who identified herself as the daughter of one of the victims, said her mother received a threatening phone call from Jody Herring on Friday morning.

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A friend of the parent who was present unlocked the door only after Perreault threatened to call the police, she said.

Barre City Police