Court issues warrant for Orange County man after missed hearing

CHELSEA — An arrest warrant has been issued for an Orange County man who failed to show up to his court date to finalize a plea deal that would have kept him out of prison.

Patrick Southworth, of Vershire, is accused in a string of alleged crimes dating back two years. He did not appear for his scheduled sentencing hearing in Orange Superior Court on Wednesday, prompting the court to issue a warrant for his arrest.

Southworth, 39, had filed a notice of plea agreement with the court in September that called for a suspended prison sentence of two to six years, plus five years probation pending determination of an Intermediate Sanctions Report assessing his risk factors.

In February, Southworth was arrested and charged twice on the same day — first when he was caught in the act of allegedly burglarizing a home in Corinth and then afterward when he attempted to escape from police custody while he was being transported from the Chelsea courthouse to prison in St. Johnsbury.

Prior to the February incidents, Southworth had multiple warrants out for his arrest for failing to appear at court dates stemming from 2021 charges in Vermont that included burglary, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and taking game out of season.