RUTLAND — A former Royalton police officer charged with physical violence against a woman with whom he had been in a relationship has received a one-year deferred sentence after pleading no contest to a charge of domestic assault.
Two other charges, unlawful restraint and interference with access to law enforcement, were dismissed.
Following the charges, which were filed last year, Jakob Oliver, 32, of Woodstock, was placed on administrative leave and subsequently terminated from the Royalton police force where he had worked as a part-time officer since March of 2024.
Before Oliver came to Royalton, in January, 2024, the Hartford Fire Department announced that it had hired him, as a new full-time firefighter and EMT, according to the town’s monthly activity report. The report describes him as then living in Colchester, Vt., and as a “federal police officer at the VA hospital.”
The charges stemmed from incidents that occurred in August and September 2024, and led Randolph Police Chief Scott Clouatre to request an investigation.
Investigators determined that Oliver had been “physically violent” with a female with whom he was personally involved and had prevented her from calling emergency services, according to a news release from Vermont State Police.
Oliver was also subsequently charged multiple times with violating his conditions of release that ordered him not to contact the victim. Those charges were also dismissed under the plea deal.
Neither the prosecutor nor Oliver’s defense attorney responded to emails for comment.
Oliver’s case had been removed from Orange County Superior Court to Washington County Superior Court after the former decided it was a conflict of interest because the Orange County prosecutor’s office had worked with Oliver on cases when he was a police officer.
Jakob Oliver’s older brother, Timothy (T.J.) Oliver, a former officer on the Williston, Vt., police force, had pleaded guilty to domestic assault and three counts of unlawful mischief against a woman he had been in a relationship with in 2020, Mike Donoghue reported last year.
Both Jakob Oliver and T.J. Oliver are the sons of Timothy Oliver, who had been a commander with the Vermont State Police.