Fri. Nov 8th, 2024
Two men in suits sit attentively at a meeting, with one man resting his chin on his hand in thought. Laptops are open in front of them.
Two men in suits sit attentively at a meeting, with one man resting his chin on his hand in thought. Laptops are open in front of them.
Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore is seen on July 22, 2024, in North Hero during his trial in Grand Isle County Superior criminal court for simple assault for striking Jeremy Burrows in 2022, who was under arrest and in shackles at the time. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

The Vermont Supreme Court has upheld the revocation of the police certification of Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore.

The Vermont Criminal Justice Council voted in December 2023 to permanently revoke Grismore’s law enforcement certification. The panel found that the sheriff violated the state’s use-of-force police when he kicked a detained man in August 2022.

Grismore appealed that decision to the Vermont Supreme Court, which affirmed the council’s decision in a ruling issued Friday.

“Respondent has failed to identify any violation of his due-process rights,” Justice Karen Carroll wrote in a 12-page unanimous decision. 

Last month, a prosecutor dropped a criminal assault charge brought against Grismore stemming from the incident in which Grismore, then a sheriff’s department captain, kicked a shackled detainee. Video of that incident has since been widely distributed.

The decision by Grand Isle State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito to dismiss the misdemeanor charge followed two earlier trials that ended after jurors failed to reach verdicts on whether Grismore’s actions amounted to assault. 

The action by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council to revoke Grismore’s police certification holds no legal bearing on his ability to serve as a sheriff under Vermont law. Sheriffs are independently elected officials in Vermont. 

However, the decision does limit what he can do in that role. For example, he can no longer take part in many facets of standard police work, the criminal justice council’s chair said at the time of the revocation, such as investigating crimes or conducting patrols.

Grismore has maintained he did nothing wrong, contending that he was helping two other deputies bring the detained man under control. 

Neither Grismore nor his attorney could immediately be reached Friday for comment.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Supreme Court upholds revocation of Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore’s police certification.

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