A state regulatory committee has stripped a former Essex police officer of his certification after an internal investigation found he’d committed an act of voyeurism.
The Vermont Criminal Justice Council voted unanimously at a meeting this week to revoke Lance Martel’s law enforcement certification, but the decision permits him to reapply for recertification in seven years.
“The agreement does not provide a right or guarantee to future re-certification,” a press release from the council stated. “The agreement also provides the Council to have full discretion to determine Martel’s potential future application for law enforcement certification.”
The council’s professional regulation subcommittee determined that the body had grounds to take action based on an internal investigation from the Essex Police Department that found Martel had committed voyeurism.
The subcommittee had recommended that Martel’s certification be permanently revoked, according to William Sorrell, the council’s chair. However, following negotiations between the council’s attorney and Martel’s lawyer, the parties agreed on decertification with the opportunity to reapply after seven years and after completing specific training requirements, Sorrell said.
The council approved the agreement in part so the victim would not be put through the process of a contested hearing that would require her to publicly testify, Sorrell said.
“(Martel) enters no further admissions here, but to resolve this matter without further time, expense, and uncertainty Respondent has concluded that this agreement is acceptable and in the best interest of the parties,” the stipulated agreement approved by the council stated.
Martel previously faced a criminal charge of voyeurism in 2021, following a Vermont State Police investigation. Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George later dismissed that case, according to court records.
“I can say we dismissed due to some insurmountable evidentiary issues and there have been no other charges brought against him, but I did issue a Brady letter and that letter absolutely stands,” George said via a text message to VTDigger in 2022 about the dismissal of the case.
A Brady letter, also known as a Giglio letter, informs defense attorneys of an officer’s credibility or integrity issues. A prosecutor may not be inclined to call the officer to testify on the witness stand once a Brady letter has been issued, which can often lead to the end of an officer’s career.
“These investigations, coupled with a prior allegation of a similar nature, severely undermine the State’s ability to rely on his testimony as a credible witness,” George wrote in the Brady letter. “Therefore, I am unwilling to call him as a witness and will not accept any criminal cases from him going forward.”
An internal investigation of Martel by the Essex Police Department found at least three instances of improper conduct, including assault and sending unsolicited nude photos.
Sue Edwards, an attorney listed in council filings as representing Martel, did not immediately return a call Thursday afternoon seeking comment.
At the same meeting this week, the council voted to permanently revoke the certification of Stephen Bunnell, a former captain in the Caledonia County Sheriff’s Department who had pleaded guilty nearly two years ago to criminal charges related to soliciting sex and nude photos from women he encountered while on duty.
