Two Vermont police officers pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor Tuesday after one of them fired a bean bag round from a shotgun at a man who allegedly acted out of control.
During a brief hearing in Vermont Superior Court in Brattleboro, Sergeant’s attorney said: Ryan Wood and Officer Zachary Torocchi filed a petition on their behalf. Both men were later released on their own accord.
Prosecutors asked Judge Catherine Hayes whether she would reconsider her decision to dismiss another charge of simple assault brought against officers. Hayes said last week that the affidavit filed by police did not support a simple assault charge, she said.
Hayes instructed prosecutors at the Vermont Attorney General’s Office to provide updated affidavits.
“If there are facts not included in the affidavit that I feel should be taken into account and that I should reconsider the possible causes of the simple assault charge, I am happy to do so,” Hayes said. said Mr.
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Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark said in a statement that her office and the Orleans County Attorney decided to file charges against the officers after a review of the shooting involving them. Clark said the man who was shot had a saw, but the immediate threat did not extend to anyone.
“Under Vermont law, everyone is entitled to freedom from excessive use of force by officials acting under the authority of the state,” a news release from the Attorney General’s Office said.
Vermont police on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless risk taking in the bean bag case. (Fox News)
The two officers were dispatched on June 17, 2022 to a location in the southern Vermont town of Newfaen, where a man was reportedly acting unreasonably and causing damage. When officers arrived, they found a man with a hand-held saw on a hill behind the house, according to the State Police Union.
According to an affidavit filed in the case, the man who was beaten was repeatedly instructed by both officers to drop what he was holding. It was hit by a beanbag fired from about 80 feet away.
According to the affidavit, a man can be heard saying, “Help me.” He then crawled on his knees to the edge, where he slipped and fell over 10 feet, severely injuring his head.
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The beanbag was fired by Trotki after being instructed to do so by the person in charge of the scene, Wood.
The Vermont Police Association previously said in a statement that officers were performing their duties in good faith and should not have been charged.
