Royalton
The agents focused on evidence in a specific case and examined the contents of a paper bag, took photographs and performed an inventory check, Trottier said.
As for what was inside the bag in question, Trottier said he didn’t know. Trottier said he gave federal agents permission to enter the evidence room when they called last Wednesday morning.
The agents accessed the room using keys from the constable, Trottier said. Trottier said the goal was to cooperate with the FBI’s investigation.
“If I didn’t (give them permission), they would have had to have a warrant,” Trottier said in a telephone interview. “As far as I know, we have nothing to hide so why not let them do their job. That’s what we thought.”
Two days prior to the FBI visit, John Breault, a senior police officer who had been with the department for about nine years, abruptly resigned, citing personal reasons. Trottier said isn’t clear if the FBI investigation is in someway linked to Breault’s departure.
Attempts to reach Breault on Monday were unsuccessful.
Spokeswoman Eileen Cataldo of the FBI’s Albany, N.Y., office said on Monday she could not comment.
“Department of Justice policy doesn’t allow us to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation,” she said.
Similarly, Craig LaPorte, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, declined to comment.
A worker at the Royalton town offices on Monday said Town Administrator Rose Hemond was too busy to speak with a reporter. Messages left for Hemond weren’t returned.
The police department was locked, and two cruisers — one marked and one unmarked — were parked on the side of the station off Route 14.
Since Breault’s departure, Royalton has been without a patrol officer during the week, Trottier said.
The remaining certified officer, Gary Rogler, only works on weekends. Rogler didn’t return a request for comment.
Much as it always has, the town can rely on coverage from Vermont State Police, Lt. Roger Farmer, Royalton station commander, said.
“We have never really stopped covering the town,” Farmer said. “Because they are such a small department, even when they were fully staffed, there were still a lot of hours (without an officer on duty).”
Breault’s departure continues a period of instability at the Royalton police department.
James Beraldi took over as chief in spring 2016 for longtime chief Bob Hull, who retired.
However, Beraldi resigned 11 months later after he clashed with elected officials over expectations of how the department should operate.
Beraldi said he had no comment on Monday.
Trottier, the Selectboard chairman, spoke highly of Breault on Monday, calling him a “great” officer.
“This was a … surprise to us,” Trottier said of Breault’s resignation.
Selectwoman Peggy Ainsworth on Monday said she didn’t know more than what’s been made public about the investigation, or Breault’s resignation.
She said a hiring committee, which was in the works to search for a new chief following Beraldi’s resignation, will now work to replace Breault as well.
Breault was supposed to serve on the police chief hiring committee, according to Selectboard meeting minutes from late last month.
Also at that Aug. 28 meeting, the Selectboard voted to give the veteran officer a raise to $18.50 an hour and designated him “acting lead officer in charge until such time as a new chief is hired.”
Two months prior, he was awarded a one time bonus of $750, for “accepting responsibilities beyond those of his regular duties.”
Meeting minutes from Sept. 12 indicate Breault resigned “effective immediately.”
At that meeting, the board agreed to hire “Royalton Town Constable Marc Preston to help out in the Royalton Police Department while the office is understaffed. He is authorized to have keys for the police department and the town will pay him $20.00 an hour.”
Prior to working for Royalton, he worked for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Bill Bohnyak said on Monday.
Bohnyak sponsored Breault at the Vermont Police Academy in 2008, where he earned his part-time, or Level II, certification.
Bohnyak fired him less than a year later.
“He had not one but two stalking orders from New Hampshire against him,” Bohnyak said. “The first one, he cooperated with us. However, on the second one, he did not, and since he wouldn’t cooperate (so we could) find out the reasons for the stalking order, I fired him.”
Bohnyak said the stalking orders weren’t associated with Breault’s work as a sheriff’s deputy.
A court clerk in Manchester was able to confirm one civil stalking order against Breault and said it was dismissed in June 2009.
Bohnyak said on Monday that both orders were dismissed, “but since John was not cooperative on the second one, that is where his credibility with us was gone and that is when we let him go.”
“In law enforcement, we can’t tolerate that,” he added.
“I knew John since he was a young lad,” Bohnyak said. “He comes from a good family and I thought he would be a good police officer.”
Ainsworth, the selectwoman, was on the Royalton Selectboard when Breault was hired. The board was aware of the firing, she said.
“I think the recommendation that we received was that he made a mistake of youth,” Ainsworth said. “He did not come with a bad recommen dation … he was under the wing of our police chief (Bob Hull).”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603- 727-3248.