Less than a week after her arrest on a charge of driving under the influence, Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos told law enforcement leaders in her region Wednesday that she would not meet with them in person. The reason? “I no longer feel safe around law enforcement,” she informed them in an email obtained by VTDigger.
Instead, she wrote, she planned to join a meeting of police chiefs by video.
“This safety issue will conflict with the plan for me to do educational trainings,” Vekos continued in the email. “Its (sic) too bad, I would have loved to teach grammar skills to bring police up to the elementary school level, at least. I found a really great illustrated book to use. It has pictures of dragons and stuff.”
Vekos sent the email from her state email account Wednesday morning to, among others, Addison County Sheriff Michael Elmore, Middlebury Police Chief Jason Covey and Lt. Thomas Mozzer, commander of Vermont State Police barracks in New Haven.
Vekos’ email came as part of a chain with the law enforcement officials regarding the timeliness of filing paperwork in cases to the state’s attorney’s office.
“This would be a good topic to clarify at our next chief’s (sic) meeting. Thanks,” Mozzer wrote earlier in the chain.
Vekos responded, “Happy to do so.” She continued, “However, please note that because I no longer feel safe around law enforcement I will join the next Chiefs’ meeting by video,” and proceeded to discuss her educational training plans.
A call to Vekos’ office Wednesday seeking comment was referred to David Sleigh, a St. Johnsbury defense attorney representing her in the DUI case.
Sleigh said that he couldn’t comment on the email because he hadn’t seen it nor had he been made aware of its contents.
“I’m sure this is a difficult time for everybody in the law enforcement community in Addison County, Eva included,” Sleigh said. “I’m sure they’re all trying to figure out how best to go forward with the business of the state’s attorney’s office while this case is pending.”
“Unless I saw the entire conversation, the entire context, I would personally refrain from jumping to conclusions or drawing inferences that may not be supported,” Sleigh said, adding, “It’s hard to draw conclusions about somebody’s true meaning from a snippet.”
John Campbell, executive director of the state Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, said Wednesday afternoon that he was taken aback by Vekos’ remarks.
“Personally as an attorney, a former police officer, I find Ms. Vekos’ comments to be unprofessional, unwarranted and unproductive,” he said.
Elmore, the Addison County sheriff, echoed Campbell’s assessment.
“It was extremely unprofessional and inappropriate and I’m disappointed to have gotten it from her,” Elmore said Wednesday afternoon.
Vekos was arrested Thursday night on a charge of driving under the influence, refusal, according to a press release issued by Vermont State Police.
Vekos arrived at the scene of a suspicious death investigation in Bridport smelling of alcohol and appearing impaired, according to the release. She refused to perform sobriety tests, police said.
The release also stated that while at the New Haven state police barracks, Vekos refused to cooperate with being fingerprinted and photographed. She is set to be arraigned on the charge in Addison County Superior criminal court in Middlebury on Feb. 12.
Vekos remains on the job as the county’s top prosecutor, an elected position. The former defense attorney won election to her first four-year term in November 2022.
Vekos appeared in court Monday for a hearing as the lead prosecutor in the case of a 14-year-old boy she charged as an adult with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of another teen last October in Bristol.
Following that hearing, Vekos walked away from reporters as they asked questions about that case, as well as about her arrest.
The Vermont Attorney General’s Office confirmed Wednesday that its office would be prosecuting the case to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
