A former Vermont State Police detective is facing charges for allegedly violating an abuse prevention order, punching a family dog and lying under oath about a motor vehicle crash.
Zachary Gauthier, 31, of Weathersfield, was already subject to a family court order that found he abused a woman, including threatening her and placing her in fear of harm, and could no longer contact her.
He pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon during a virtual hearing in Windham County Superior criminal court in Brattleboro to charges of violating a relief-from-abuse order and animal cruelty, both misdemeanors, and perjury, a felony.
Washington County State’s Attorney Rory Thibault requested several conditions for Gauthier’s release, including that he not have any firearms or other dangerous weapons. (Thibault is prosecuting the case to avoid conflicts with other jurisdictions in southern Vermont where Gauthier had worked for state police.)
Judge Michael Kainen granted all of Thibault’s requests, which further prohibited Gauthier from engaging in any law enforcement activities unless directed to appear as a witness.
Richard Bowen, Gauthier’s attorney, did not object to the prosecutor’s requests. Bowen could not be reached for comment following the hearing.
A Vermont State Police detective from the force’s headquarters investigated the cases that resulted in animal cruelty and perjury charges to avoid a conflict of interest with detectives at the Westminster barracks, where Gauthier worked, according to state police.
Springfield police launched its own investigation after the woman said she was repeatedly contacted by Gauthier in Springfield, despite the court order.
VTDigger generally does not identify victims of domestic violence.
The animal cruelty charge accuses Gauthier of punching a dog and breaking a knuckle on his hand while doing so in December 2021, according to charging documents written by state police Detective Sgt. Michael Notte.
The woman who secured the restraining order against Gauthier told police that he had punched a “six or seven-month old” dog on the head after discovering that it defecated inside, according to Notte’s filing.
Gauthier later sought treatment at Springfield Hospital, where he learned he had a broken knuckle, Notte wrote. The woman texted Gauthier telling him it was “karma” for striking the dog, according to the filing.
Gauthier replied with text stating, “Yeah, lesson learned; the funny part is it wasn’t even hard. It must have been just right,” according to the filing.
That same night, Notte wrote, Gauthier notified his state police supervisors that he had broken his knuckle while running outside to get a water bottle.
During the investigation into the abuse claims, the woman reported that Gauthier had crashed his truck into a ledge in Reading in October, causing a six-pack of beer inside his truck to explode, Notte wrote.
During a February court hearing about the restraining order, Notte wrote, Gauthier reported under oath that he had grabbed the dog by the collar and took it outside after discovering that it had defecated inside — but had injured his hand from falling on ice in a driveway.
He further testified that there was no alcohol in the truck he was driving that crashed.
As the state police investigation continued, Gauthier initially denied striking the dog, again reporting that he injured his hand from a fall, Notte wrote.
Then, asked by an investigator to explain the text messages, Gauthier confirmed that he wasn’t injured from falling, but from striking the dog.
“Mr. Gauthier said he did not hit the dog hard,” according to the filing, “and he only said it was from a fall because hitting the dog sounded bad.”
Asked about the alcohol and the truck crash, Notte wrote, Gauthier reported that he had not been drinking and driving at that time, but that a six-pack of Bud Light beer that a friend had purchased while Gauthier was pumping gas had exploded.
In a separate affidavit in the restraining order case, Springfield police stated that the woman reported on April 14 that Gauthier had repeatedly sent text messages to her since March asking that she drop the restraining order.
Windsor Superior family court had issued a final relief from abuse order to Gauthier in February that remains in effect until February 2023.
The family court, in issuing that restraining order prohibiting Gauthier from contacting the woman, agreed with the woman that Gauthier had abused her and posed a danger to her.
However, the family court did not grant the woman’s request that the court order that Gauthier not possess firearms while the restraining order was in effect.
The woman also reported in a statement seeking the restraining order that in threatening her, Gauthier had raised his position with Vermont State Police.
The woman wrote that she once had submitted a claim against Gauthier with the Vermont State Police. But, the woman said in the filing, he was never disciplined after he accused her of lying.
“He uses his job as a trooper as leverage to get what he wants from all,” she said in her statement.
Adam Silverman, a state police spokesperson, said Tuesday afternoon that Gauthier had been suspended with pay starting on Feb. 10. He said that changed to unpaid relief from duty on Feb. 24, the same day the restraining order was granted.
Gauthier resigned last week, Silverman said.
If convicted of all three charges against him, Gauthier faces up to 17 years in jail.
