Special impeachment committee to begin proceedings for two Franklin County officials
Sheriff John Grismore defended his actions in an exclusive interview this week, calling the upcoming proceedings "a political attack."
Sheriff John Grismore defended his actions in an exclusive interview this week, calling the upcoming proceedings "a political attack."
Sheriff John Grismore defended his actions in an exclusive interview this week, calling the upcoming proceedings "a political attack."
In Montpelier, members of a special committee will meet for the first time on Tuesday to discuss misconduct allegations leveled against two Franklin County law enforcement officials.
The seven-member bipartisan committee will be tasked with reviewing an impeachment inquiry into the actions of Vermont Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore and State's Attorney John Lavoie.
Grismore gave an exclusive interview to NBC5 this week and defended his actions, calling the upcoming proceedings "a political attack."
He has been under fire since August 2022 after a video surfaced where he allegedly assaulted a suspect in handcuffs.
Related video: Grismore speaks out after video shows him kicking detainee
"It's been six months since I've been elected, and there's been no talk of impeachment at all. But all of a sudden... it's very curious why that is happening if they didn't feel there was grounds to start this process six months ago why all of a sudden," said Grismore.
The committee is the first of its kind to be formed in Vermont since 1976 and will investigate claims against Franklin County's top cop, as well as its top prosecutor.
"It's starting to get this feel of being a very vindictive, very political maneuvering that's going on," said Grismore. "I think my endurance in this process has been a testament to the desire to continue that mission to uphold that ideal. There is still some really great work that I could [do]... to make this a great place to live."
Committee Chairman Rep. Martin LaLonde said it is too early to know if the allegations will ultimately go before a jury.
The committee will make a recommendation after thoroughly examining the allegations, evidence, and witness testimony.
"We're not going to rush this; we're going to look very carefully at these allegations, and we're going to look at the law as far as what includes impeachable conduct; at some point, we will decide if we will proceed with articles of impeachment," said LaLonde.
Tuesday's meeting is expected to focus on establishing guidelines for how the committee will proceed throughout this process and include discussions for hiring special counsel and investigators.
NBC5 reached out to State's Attorney John Lavoie ahead of Tuesday's meeting but did not hear back in time for this story.