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Police Fury Over Vermont DA Refusing to Charge Rioters
Clear Facts
- Vermont law enforcement officials criticized State’s Attorney Sarah George after she declined to prosecute six people involved in a violent clash with police.
- Multiple officers were injured during the March incident, including two female state troopers who were punched and another officer hit by glass shards.
- State officials warned the decision could encourage future interference with lawful arrests and public safety operations.
Lack of Accountability for Violence
The confrontation began when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement target tried to flee, striking several vehicles before taking refuge in a residence.
As agents waited for a warrant, a crowd gathered, then slashed tires and assaulted officers to keep federal vehicles from leaving.
Sarah George defended her decision by accusing law enforcement of escalating the situation alongside protesters.
“I am confident that some protesters escalated the situation and went beyond civil disobedience into unacceptable and perhaps criminal behavior, including the three individuals cited by BPD – but I am just as confident that there were some law enforcement officers who agitated, who escalated, and who responded in a way that may ultimately be deemed legal, but was also unacceptable,” George claimed.
“So to charge these six individuals with no criminal records, and expect that they bear the burden of all the harm caused that day — is not something I was interested in our office being a part of.”
Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison and State Police Director Col. Matthew Birmingham condemned the choice, saying the prosecutor effectively gave permission for lawbreakers to obstruct police.
They added that rioters mocked officers by predicting George would never prosecute them for their behavior.
“State’s Attorney George has a vastly different vision from our own for what public safety and the rule of law looks like,” Morrison and Birmingham said.
“She has missed an opportunity to delineate between the lawful conduct the First Amendment protects and the lawlessness of criminal behavior that escalates volatile situations and harms communities.”
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