Montpelier police cited Vermont Secretary of Digital Services John Quinn last week for disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, after a dispute over a state parking space off State Street.
Jason Carrara, 39, of Chester was also cited following the encounter with felony unlawful mischief, according to the police log.
Carrara faces a felony charge because of the estimated cost of the damage to Quinn’s truck, Washington County State’s Attorney Rory Thibault said in a phone interview Monday. The damage was estimated at $4,000, according to Thibault, who did a preliminary review of the case but said he has not decided whether to pursue charges against either individual.
The incident, first reported by WCAX, took place the morning of Wednesday, July 20. Carrara parked his pickup truck and trailer in Quinn’s designated spot, according to Montpelier Police Chief Brian Peete.
Surveillance video obtained by VTDigger from the state’s Department of Buildings and General Services shows that Quinn parked his pickup truck nearly parallel to Carrara’s, wedging it against a box truck, preventing Carrara from exiting.
The surveillance video shows the driver, alleged to be Carrara, attempting to get out of the parking space. He drives back and forth several times, ramming against Quinn’s truck. The driver then gets out of the truck and takes photos of the vehicles before returning behind the wheel and hitting Quinn’s pickup again.
A few minutes later in the video, a man identified as Quinn appears, walking toward the vehicles. The other driver gestures out the window at Quinn. Quinn appears to make a phone call, and while on the call, the other driver gets out of the truck and strides toward Quinn.
In the video, Carrara gestures at Quinn, and Quinn quickly walks away, still on the phone, looking back over his shoulder.
Reached by phone Monday morning, Quinn declined to comment on the incident. Attempts to reach Carrara by phone were unsuccessful.
Montpelier and Capitol police responded to the incident Wednesday morning. According to Peete, a bystander called police after noticing the verbal altercation between the two men. Quinn also called local police, according to a statement by Jason Maulucci, a spokesperson for Gov. Phil Scott.
“The Secretary has acknowledged his poor choice in parking and regrets the role it may have played in the other driver’s reaction,” Maulucci wrote in the statement.
Quinn remains in his cabinet role “with the full confidence of the Governor,” Maulucci said.
Quinn was appointed Vermont’s first Secretary of Digital Services and Chief Information Officer in 2017, and has held the role since.
In the surveillance video, at least six officers are visible responding to the incident.
The men are scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 8, according to Thibault.
In non-emergency cases, police cite a person to appear in court at a later date, and then submit the citation to the prosecutor’s office, Thibault said. The prosecutor then determines if the charges are appropriate and whether the case will be pursued.
Quinn intends to contest his citation, according to Maulucci.