[A] former chief deputy prosecutor in Washington County has been tapped by Gov. Phil Scott as the temporary head of the county state’s attorney’s office.
Rory Thibault was sworn in Tuesday, a day after State’s Attorney Scott Williams resigned.
“Rory brings extensive experience to this role, and he will be a strong leader as the Washington County state’s attorney’s office continues its critical work to seek justice for Vermonters,” Scott said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
Thibault is currently an assistant attorney general in the criminal division of the Vermont attorney general’s office.
According to the statement Tuesday from the governor’s office, Thibault has more than seven years of litigation experience, including with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps for the U.S. Army.
Williams, who had been on medical leave since mid-November and reportedly receiving psychiatric care, resigned Monday after three years in the position. In a statement, he cited post-traumatic stress disorder prompted by the fatal shooting 2½ years ago of Lara Sobel, a state social worker.
Williams had responded to the scene of that shooting in downtown Barre. “The effect of the murder of Lara Sobel requires that I focus on regaining my health,” Williams said in a release.
He went on leave at the time of the sentencing hearing in November for Jody Herring, who killed three of her relatives in addition to Sobel.
Williams, who was with Sobel when she died and had been credited with disarming Herring, was excused from testifying at Herring’s sentencing after he filed a motion to quash a subpoena.
He was reportedly receiving care at the Brattleboro Retreat around the time he was excused from testifying.
He agreed to a suspension of his law license, and he was placed on disability status by the Vermont Supreme Court on Dec. 4.
The state Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, with help from county attorneys from across Vermont, has been aiding the Washington County state’s attorney’s office since Williams went on leave.
The office has been shorthanded, with at times only two of the five prosecutor positions filled. Just last week, a judge dismissed a sex case against a Barre man, citing neglect by the office in prosecuting it.
The judge dismissed that case “without prejudice,” which will allow prosecutors to refile the charge.
Thibault, a Democrat from Cabot, could not immediately be reached Tuesday afternoon for comment.
He told VTDigger on Monday that he would be “honored to be in position to even be considered” for the state’s attorney position in Washington County.
“If leaders in this community or the governor feel I would be a good choice, I would definitely be open to that,” he said.
The governor has asked that the Washington County Democratic Committee recommend one or more people for him to consider as a successor to Williams, who served in the post as a Democrat.
The Washington County Democrats will meet Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Aldrich Public Library in Barre to hear from potential candidates.
Washington County Democratic Chair Maggie Lenz could not immediately be reached Tuesday afternoon for comment.
Conor Casey, executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party, said he has heard “rumblings” of a few candidates interested in the position.
The post is up for election in November.
