An Essex police officer is on paid administrative leave after he was arrested on charges related to speeding and eluding police in Williston last month.
Cpl. Michael Wootton, 48, is charged with excessive speeding, eluding police and gross negligent operation, according to Williston police Chief Patrick Foley.
Neither Williston nor Essex police are releasing additional information or answering questions about the incident, which occurred at 2:20 a.m. on March 23 at Route 289 and River Road in Essex, according to Foley.
“There is no narrative, just an affidavit which should be released when he is being arraigned on May 4, 2023 in Chittenden Court,” Foley wrote in an email.
Wootton could not be reached for comment.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George said she could not “confirm or deny whether we have any paperwork or have made any charging decisions until after probable cause is found by the Court.”
The arrest is not listed in the “weekly blotter” of the Williston Police Department’s website. Foley did not respond to a question asking about the omission.
Essex police Chief Ron Hoague said his department “has cooperated fully with the investigation” and will conduct its own internal investigation “upon completion of the criminal charges.”
Wootton has been on paid administrative leave since March 24, according to Hoague. He declined to comment further on Wootton’s case, citing the “ongoing personnel matter.”
Hoague shared the department code of conduct, which includes a section stating that members must obey and abide by U.S. laws and that they “shall not commit any violation of law which by definition of statute is a misdemeanor under any jurisdiction.”
Wootton was hired in 2000 and his salary is $84,572, according to the chief.
In 2009, Wootton was acquitted of an animal cruelty charge after he fatally shot a neighbor’s dog to protect his own, according to Channel 5/NBC-affiliate.