MIDDLEBURY, VT— A Vermont State's Attorney facing DUI charges lashed out at her law enforcement partners after she was placed under arrest, having allegedly come to a live crime scene under investigation while intoxicated. Local Vermont news outlets have reported that Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos, 54, fired off an incendiary email to law enforcement leaders less than a week after her arrest excoriating police officers and refusing to meet with them in person claiming, "I no longer feel safe around law enforcement."
According to The Addison Independent, on Thursday, January 26, Vekos arrived at the scene of a suspicious death in Bridport. Police were on scene investigating the death of 44-year-old Stephen Nuciolo Sr., who died from a gunshot wound to the head. His death is still under investigation. But while at the scene on duty, as is not unusual for a State's Attorney or District Attorney, officers began to question whether she was intoxicated. She was arrested after refusing to consent to field sobriety testing.
Per Court Documents cited by the Independent, Vermont State Police Sgt. Eden Neary, a certified DUI instructor, a certified Drug Recognition Expert, and a full-time patrol commander, was asked to process Vekos by arresting officers at the New Haven Barracks. He wrote in an affidavit, "While speaking with Vekos, I detected a moderate odor of intoxicants emanating from her, her eyes were watery, and she had mumbled speech at times."
Neary explained that while Vekos insisted she was not intoxicated, there was alcohol on her breath and she exhibited slurred speech. He told the State's Attorney that there were "enough indicators to request an evidentiary test, which I told her she knew as a state’s attorney, and she said she disagreed."
The story, broken by VTDigger has gained a national response due to the singularly insulting remarks made by Vekos toward police officers in general. As reported by the outlet, after announcing her concerns for her safety, the State's Attorney wrote that she planned to meet with Police Chiefs via video moving forward. Further in her email, Vekos appeared to speak condescendingly to the police, seemingly questioning their intelligence.
“This safety issue will conflict with the plan for me to do educational trainings,” she wrote. She added, with an unironic grammatical error, “Its (sic) too bad, I would have loved to teach grammar skills to bring police up to the elementary school level, at least. I found a really great illustrated book to use. It has pictures of dragons and stuff.”
This email obtained by the outlet was sent via Vekos' state email account to the Addison County Sheriff Michael Elmore, the Middlebury Police Chief Jason Covey, and Lt. Thomas Mozzer, the commander of Vermont State Police barracks in New Haven, where she was booked.
Per VTDigger, the executive director of the state Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs John Cambell told reporters Wednesday that he was taken aback by the remarks from Vekos. “Personally as an attorney, a former police officer, I find Ms. Vekos’ comments to be unprofessional, unwarranted and unproductive,” he told reporters.
Elmore was similarly unimpressed, "It was extremely unprofessional and inappropriate and I’m disappointed to have gotten it from her."
Vekos has since pleaded not guilty on the DUI charge and the case is ongoing. Vekos will be prosecuted by the office of Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark to avoid the conflicts of interest of Vekos being prosecuted by a subordinate.
A DUI first offense in Vermont is a misdemeanor and could result in a prison sentence of up to two years and a $750 fine. According to the Vermont State Constitution, Vekos could then be impeached from office under Chapter 2 §14 which empowers the legislature to "impeach state criminals."
According to The Addison Independent, on Thursday, January 26, Vekos arrived at the scene of a suspicious death in Bridport. Police were on scene investigating the death of 44-year-old Stephen Nuciolo Sr., who died from a gunshot wound to the head. His death is still under investigation. But while at the scene on duty, as is not unusual for a State's Attorney or District Attorney, officers began to question whether she was intoxicated. She was arrested after refusing to consent to field sobriety testing.
Per Court Documents cited by the Independent, Vermont State Police Sgt. Eden Neary, a certified DUI instructor, a certified Drug Recognition Expert, and a full-time patrol commander, was asked to process Vekos by arresting officers at the New Haven Barracks. He wrote in an affidavit, "While speaking with Vekos, I detected a moderate odor of intoxicants emanating from her, her eyes were watery, and she had mumbled speech at times."
Neary explained that while Vekos insisted she was not intoxicated, there was alcohol on her breath and she exhibited slurred speech. He told the State's Attorney that there were "enough indicators to request an evidentiary test, which I told her she knew as a state’s attorney, and she said she disagreed."
The story, broken by VTDigger has gained a national response due to the singularly insulting remarks made by Vekos toward police officers in general. As reported by the outlet, after announcing her concerns for her safety, the State's Attorney wrote that she planned to meet with Police Chiefs via video moving forward. Further in her email, Vekos appeared to speak condescendingly to the police, seemingly questioning their intelligence.
“This safety issue will conflict with the plan for me to do educational trainings,” she wrote. She added, with an unironic grammatical error, “Its (sic) too bad, I would have loved to teach grammar skills to bring police up to the elementary school level, at least. I found a really great illustrated book to use. It has pictures of dragons and stuff.”
This email obtained by the outlet was sent via Vekos' state email account to the Addison County Sheriff Michael Elmore, the Middlebury Police Chief Jason Covey, and Lt. Thomas Mozzer, the commander of Vermont State Police barracks in New Haven, where she was booked.
Per VTDigger, the executive director of the state Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs John Cambell told reporters Wednesday that he was taken aback by the remarks from Vekos. “Personally as an attorney, a former police officer, I find Ms. Vekos’ comments to be unprofessional, unwarranted and unproductive,” he told reporters.
Elmore was similarly unimpressed, "It was extremely unprofessional and inappropriate and I’m disappointed to have gotten it from her."
Vekos has since pleaded not guilty on the DUI charge and the case is ongoing. Vekos will be prosecuted by the office of Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark to avoid the conflicts of interest of Vekos being prosecuted by a subordinate.
A DUI first offense in Vermont is a misdemeanor and could result in a prison sentence of up to two years and a $750 fine. According to the Vermont State Constitution, Vekos could then be impeached from office under Chapter 2 §14 which empowers the legislature to "impeach state criminals."
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Comments
2024-02-15T15:22-0600 | Comment by: Kevin
This extremely homely creature needs to be removed from office. Our founders believed that women should not be in office or have power. They knew that if women got the vote our nation would turn into a God and male-hating feminist baby murdering child mutilating perversion-promoting hysterical irrational illogical matriarchal police state. As a retired LAPD I experienced firsthand the destruction of a once great agency into a woke DEI CRT lesbian-filled third-world corrupt department. Remove all women from frontline police positions and get them and the perverts out of law enforcement and military.
2024-02-15T15:22-0600 | Comment by: Kevin
This extremely homely creature needs to be removed from office. Our founders believed that women should not be in office or have power. They knew that if women got the vote our nation would turn into a God and male-hating feminist baby murdering child mutilating perversion-promoting hysterical irrational illogical matriarchal police state. As a retired LAPD I experienced firsthand the destruction of a once great agency into a woke DEI CRT lesbian-filled third-world corrupt department. Remove all women from frontline police positions and get them and the perverts out of law enforcement and military.
2024-02-15T16:23-0600 | Comment by: Rick
Since when does a misdemeanor offense warrant a prison sentence of up to "two years". Not that I have a problem with it but most states define a misdemeanor as have a prison sentence of up to one year. Anyway, bet this entitled cretin, if found guilty, won't receive any jail time. We need to hold our public servants to a higher standard and start punishing them to those standards.
2024-02-15T20:25-0600 | Comment by: Jim
Vermont, like many states have increased DUI penalties: Subchapter 013 : Drunken Driving (Cite as: 23 V.S.A. § 1210) § 1210. Penalties (b) First offense. A person who violates section 1201 of this title may be fined not more than $750.00 or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both.
2024-02-15T21:33-0600 | Comment by: Anthony
You can't fix stupid or ugly. Make an example her like she has done to others. Throw the book at her then impeach. This crime was no mistake. It was a crime for which she shows no remorse.
2024-02-16T05:48-0600 | Comment by: vincent
If she had complied with officers she could have proven if she was over the limit or not. But being a person in her position to have failed to comply and then adding to her poor judgement with her childish and unprofessional comments if found guilty she should not be given a slap on the wrist. She is a blemish on the criminal justice system and should be shown as an example that justice applies to all. She should receive the maximum monetary fine and be made to serve at least thirty days in jail to show that members of our legal system are not immune from following the law. If she has an otherwise clean work history should be put on unpaid administrative leave for a minimum of 90 days. And first and foremost be made to make a formal public apology to her law enforcement partners for her reprehensible comments.
2024-02-16T05:48-0600 | Comment by: vincent
If she had complied with officers she could have proven if she was over the limit or not. But being a person in her position to have failed to comply and then adding to her poor judgement with her childish and unprofessional comments if found guilty she should not be given a slap on the wrist. She is a blemish on the criminal justice system and should be shown as an example that justice applies to all. She should receive the maximum monetary fine and be made to serve at least thirty days in jail to show that members of our legal system are not immune from following the law. If she has an otherwise clean work history should be put on unpaid administrative leave for a minimum of 90 days. And first and foremost be made to make a formal public apology to her law enforcement partners for her reprehensible comments.
2024-02-16T05:50-0600 | Comment by: Jim
Speaking as a former LEO, this individual, considering her status in the LE community, should be made an 'example of' by the court system.
2024-02-16T08:23-0600 | Comment by: EDWARD
Positions of power should not be expected to be positions of privilege by those who hold them; something all of our leaders(?) should remember.
2024-02-16T10:17-0600 | Comment by: Stephen
How can a misdemeanor charge result in a prison sentence longer than one year?
2024-02-16T11:51-0600 | Comment by: Chris
If she has prosecuted people for DUI's in the past for doing exactly what she did, then I have no sympathy. By making these laws you have taken away your right to determine whether or not you are intoxicated, and given it to officers, who decided you were. I am glad you get to experience what you do to others. Laws are laws, it doesn't matter who you are. I hope you get the maximum 2 years, even though I think it is a ridiculous amount of time for something that harmed nobody but yourself. I once got a DUI back in the 70's. It was a $350 fine.
2024-02-16T11:51-0600 | Comment by: Chris
If she has prosecuted people for DUI's in the past for doing exactly what she did, then I have no sympathy. By making these laws you have taken away your right to determine whether or not you are intoxicated, and given it to officers, who decided you were. I am glad you get to experience what you do to others. Laws are laws, it doesn't matter who you are. I hope you get the maximum 2 years, even though I think it is a ridiculous amount of time for something that harmed nobody but yourself. I once got a DUI back in the 70's. It was a $350 fine.