The Vermont Attorney General’s Office says it found no “credible evidence” that a Bellows Falls police officer tipped off the target of a search warrant before it was executed.
As a result, the state’s top prosecutorial office said in a statement Monday afternoon it will be taking no further action on the matter and its review is concluded.
According to the statement, the Attorney General’s Office reviewed a possible misconduct complaint regarding Bellows Falls Police Detective Mario Checchi. The complaint alleged that the detective had “improperly notified a target of a search warrant” before it had been executed.
The statement added, “The Attorney General’s Office reviewed all the materials provided by the Vermont State Police, who conducted the investigation, and found no credible evidence to support the allegation of misconduct.”
No other information was available Monday from the Attorney General’s Office about the nature of the complaint.
Checchi also could not be reached Monday for comment.
The AG’s decision follows a report from the Bellows Falls Board of Trustees meeting last week that the department had been under investigation by Vermont State Police since late summer.
State police last week would not comment on the investigation beyond saying it involved an allegation of improper conduct and that it had forwarded a report of its probe to the attorney general for review.
Deborah Wright, Bellows Falls village president, said Monday she had no other information than what was released by the Attorney General’s Office regarding the probe.
“I’m relieved,” she said of her reaction to the news. “We’re good with knowing that they didn’t find any evidence to proceed.”
However, Wright said, since no wrongdoing was uncovered she questioned whether she would ever know the “back story” about what led to the probe.
She said she would still like to know about the details of the complaint.
“I’m curious. I’m sure that every citizen that asked questions about it is curious, too,” Wright said.
The probe came as the top of the department has been dealing with changes in recent months, with Ron Lake, the longtime chief, going on medical leave in November where he will remain until his March retirement.
Shaun McGinnis, Bellows Falls fire chief, has been serving as the acting police chief, but he resigned last week, replaced by Sgt. David Bemis in the post of acting police chief.
Bemis could not be reached Monday for comment on the attorney general’s finding.
The Brattleboro Reformer has reported that Tracy Kelly Shriver, Windham County’s state attorney, had requested the probe over the summer, but she declined to specifically say the reason behind her request.
Shriver could not be reached for comment Monday.
