A Williston Selectboard member is facing charges of stalking and unlawful mischief, according to court documents.
Gordon St. Hilaire, 49, is alleged to have vandalized his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle numerous times at her workplace. Williston police cited St. Hilaire, who is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, according to Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George.
Additionally, Sergeant Rick Greenough of the Williston Police Department stated in an affidavit that St. Hilaire sent him a text message asking him to look up the license plate of a man St. Hilaire believed was seeing his ex-girlfriend. Greenough, who knew St. Hilaire personally as well as through his role on the selectboard, denied the request and notified his supervisor, according to the affidavit.
St. Hilaire could not immediately be reached for comment.
Terry Macaig, chair of the Williston Selectboard, said the town manager had informed him of the citation. Macaig said he saw no reason why St. Hilaire could not continue to serve on the selectboard, noting there is no provision in the town charter or state law requiring that members be removed based on criminal charges.
“He’s innocent until proven guilty,” Macaig said. “So at this point, I have to presume that he is innocent and there’d be no reason for him not to be able to serve.”
Asked about the license plate request, Macaig said it was his understanding that St. Hilaire “asked a friend to do that, not the Williston Police Department itself.”
George said her office is “still looking into whether that conduct violated any criminal statutes.”
According to an affidavit written by Sergeant Eric Shepard of the Williston Police Department, the woman allegedly targeted by St. Hilaire found a flat tire on her vehicle outside her workplace on six occasions beginning in October.
The woman brought her vehicle to a repair shop to fix the issue multiple times, according to the affidavit. She ultimately approached a manager to seek video of the parking lot, but the manager said police would have to make such a request, the document stated.
Police said the woman eventually filed a police report when she reportedly began to fear for her safety.
On Nov. 16, police waited outside the woman’s workplace and observed St. Hilaire walking toward a parking lot wearing a motorcycle helmet with the visor down, though he had apparently arrived in a truck. He was carrying three cartons of eggs, according to the affidavit. When an officer confronted him, he allegedly stated that he had previously been in a relationship with the woman and was there to “do some not good things.”
St. Hilaire later told police that he had let the air out of the woman’s tires in an apparent effort to get the woman to reach out to him for assistance, according to the affidavit.