A former Orange County Sheriff’s deputy has been permanently banned from working as a law enforcement officer in Vermont, nearly three years after he was sentenced to jail following his criminal convictions in a road rage case.
The Vermont Criminal Justice Council voted at its most recent meeting last month to take the action against William Pine, according to Christopher Brickell, the council’s executive director.
The action appears to bring a close to proceedings stemming from the road rage incident that dates back to 2019.
The matter before the council last month had been set for a contested hearing, but Pine did not attend, and the council members voted to approve the measure, Brickell said Friday.
The Vermont Criminal Justice Council oversees the certification, training and standards of police officers in the state.
Pine could not be reached for comment.
The incident leading to the council’s action against Pine dates back to Oct. 7, 2019. That’s when, according to court records, Pine, who was off-duty at the time, was driving a Nissan Titan in Williamstown, Vt.
Charging documents stated that Pine had followed a Jeep Wrangler on Stone Road for several miles and eventually performed a “tactical maneuver” at the intersection of Route 64 in an attempt to block the Jeep.
A prosecutor told jurors during a later trial in the case that Pine then yelled at two men who were in the Jeep, “Deputy sheriff, don’t F-ing move.”
Then, court records stated, Pine fired shots into the Jeep, shattering the Jeep’s rear window as the vehicle fled toward Interstate 89.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department had initially placed Pine on unpaid leave after the incident. Following the jury’s verdict, the department terminated him.
Asked Friday why it took so long for the case to reach the council, Brickell replied that it was due to several factors, including awaiting the results of the criminal matter and then PIne’s imprisonment.
In addition, according to Brickell, attempts to resolve the matter with a negotiated agreement rather than setting a contested hearing was complicated by difficulties contacting Pine, who had since moved out of state.
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