Days after a VTDigger report revealed that Vermont State Police are investigating a “domestic disturbance” at the home of Addison County Sheriff Peter Newton, he posted a rambling video online — which has since been removed — saying he would drop his bid for reelection.
“Bear with me through this,” Newton said at the beginning of the roughly 20-minute video posted to his Facebook page Sunday. “It’s gonna be a few minutes but I got a lot I want to say and get out.”
Newton cited several factors in deciding not to seek a second four-year term, including the stress of the position and growing tired of people he said were out to “soil” his reputation.
“Sheriff Newton Is not worried about the state police Probe,” read the words posted under the video link, which showed Newton talking inside a vehicle and holding a cup as he looked ahead into a camera.
Newton spoke in the video of past relationships and affairs he said he has had, identifying individuals by name. He also talked about the toll that past relationships and his time spent working in law enforcement have had on his mental health.
“I’ve been in law enforcement for 20 years. I’m worn out, I’m tired,” he said. “Just the sound of sirens sometimes triggers my anxiety.”
Newton also named specific people he believed had played a role and “leaked” information about the state police probe to VTDigger, saying they were out to get him.
Middlebury police responded to a call just after midnight on Feb. 26 for a reported dispute between Newton and a woman at his home. Middlebury Police Chief Thomas Hanley said the responding officers did not find sufficient evidence to make any arrests.
Hanley said he had asked Addison County State’s Attorney Dennis Wygmans to conduct a “third-party” review of the case, since Newton had worked for the Middlebury Police Department at one time.
Wygmans said he forwarded the case to Vermont State Police to conduct an investigation and he recused himself from the matter, referring it to Washington County State’s Attorney Rory Thibault to review the results of the state police investigation.
Thibault, reached Monday, said the investigation is continuing.
State police last week would only describe the nature of the incident leading to the probe as a “domestic disturbance.”
Newton, in an interview last week, denied any wrongdoing.
He also had a quick reply at that time when asked if he would be seeking reelection.
“Absolutely,” Newton said.
In the Facebook video over the weekend, Newton said he had planned to serve one more four-year term but that was no longer the case. Newton said he would serve out his current term, which he said runs to Feb. 1, 2023. Then, he said, he was looking at going into business with his son.
“We’re gonna build sheds, garages, small barns,” he said, adding that he expected the work to include “pressure washing, siding, painting, small remodeling jobs.”
He said he planned to support Michael Elmore, a sergeant in the Addison County Sheriff’s Department, to be the next sheriff in the election set for November.
Dave Silberman is the high bailiff in Addison County, a post that has limited duties in modern times. If a sheriff leaves office, the high bailiff can be called on to fill the position until a new one is found.
Silberman said Monday he was sympathetic to the stresses of the job Newton faces as sheriff, including those “caused by the sort of piling on of personal matters and this long-running political feud with other law enforcement actors in the county.”
Newton was previously involved in a spat with the Brandon town manager and had separately alleged fraudulent conduct in Vergennes.
Silberman also said that he has seen no indication that the sheriff’s department is not providing the services that it should.
Newton, in the video, criticized VTDigger for its reporting on the police probe, as well as an editor for the Addison Independent, which also published the VTDigger story last week.
“They love nothing better than to try and ruin people’s lives with what might not be true,” Newton said.
Instead, he added, they should take a lesson from Michael Donoghue, a longtime reporter in Vermont.
“I love that man,” Newton said of Donoghue. “He’s a good friend of mine.”
By Monday morning, the video was no longer posted on his Facebook page, and Newton did not return phone calls to his office and cellphone Monday seeking comment. A person answering the phone at the sheriff’s department said Newton was at an appointment and wouldn’t be available.
Newton did send an email later Monday afternoon to reporters for both VTDigger and the Addison Independent in response to questions.
He didn’t answer any of the questions, but did write that he would be doing an interview with Donoghue “soon.”
