Outgoing Orange County Sheriff Bill Bohnyak will be issued a written warning and was prescribed additional training under an agreement approved Tuesday by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council. The agreement was reached after Bohnyak improperly assigned investigative work to an unqualified deputy.
According to the order, Bohnyak engaged in “unprofessional conduct” when he allowed an unnamed “Level II” deputy to work for the department’s special investigations unit in 2020, during which the deputy investigated crimes including lewd and lascivious conduct and sexual assault against children. Those crimes require further certification to investigate, according to the agreement.
Bohnyak initially told the Orange County state’s attorney that he had filed the proper paperwork to allow the deputy to work for the special investigations unit, the agreement stated. Later, Bohnyak said that he “got busy and overlooked submitting” the necessary paperwork, and “stated that he took full responsibility” for assigning the ineligible deputy to perform the special investigations.
Last year, Bohnyak lost his race for reelection. George Contois, now a part-time deputy in the Orange County department, will take over the sheriff’s post on Feb. 1. Thus far, the leadership transition has been less than smooth. Bohnyak, who currently serves as president of the National Sheriffs’ Association, will be forced to leave that prestigious position next month.
According to the signed agreement, Bohnyak is “retiring from law enforcement” once he leaves office.
“I should have been paying a little bit more attention,” Bohnyak said in an interview on Tuesday. “I took ownership of it.”
As for his future, Bohnyak said he planned to take some time to figure out what to do next.
William Sorrell, chair of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council and former attorney general, said in an interview that even if Bohnyak retires, he will need to complete the training in order to stay in compliance with the signed agreement, and in the council’s “good graces.”
Asked what the repercussions of non-compliance would be, Sorrell said, “Practically speaking, what are the impacts of that? I’m not sure.” He added, “We’ll cross that bridge if we get there.”
The criminal justice council approved the stipulation and consent order without vocal opposition. Trevor Whipple, a law enforcement consultant for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and a council member, noted his abstention from the vote.