A Democratic candidate has stepped forward to run for Addison County state’s attorney, a post held by Eva Vekos, whose law license was suspended last week.
Peter Bevere, a resident of Middlebury and a deputy state’s attorney in Rutland County, announced his candidacy Sunday evening in a press release.
“For the past three years, I have been working hard for the residents of Rutland County and I’m
ready to get back to work for my friends and neighbors in Addison County,” Bevere said in the release.
“The residents of Addison County, and in particular, victims of crime, deserve a State’s Attorney who is committed to fighting for them,” he added.
Bevere’s announcement came two days after the Vermont Supreme Court suspended the law license for Vekos following her conviction late last year on a charge of drunken driving. That conviction stemmed from Vekos’ arrest in January 2024 by police who alleged she drove impaired to a death scene investigation in Addison County.
The Supreme Court, in its ruling Friday, suspended Vekos’ law license while her disciplinary proceedings play out before a state panel overseeing the conduct of lawyers in Vermont.
Vekos has also faced calls from political leaders, including Republican Gov. Phil Scott, to resign following a report in VTDigger last year that detailed complaints from crime victims about how Vekos treated them. Vekos has challenged the allegations against her.
Vekos, a Democrat, could not be reached Monday for comment on whether she would seek another four-year term as Addison County state’s attorney. Despite having her law license suspended, Vekos can still serve in the elected office through the end of her term at the end of January. However, she can’t practice law in that role.
Bevere has run twice before for Addison County state’s attorney, as an independent both times. In 2018 he lost a close race to then-State’s Attorney Dennis Wygmans. In 2022 he lost to Vekos.
Asked about his decision to run as a Democrat this year, Bevere said Monday that he had always considered himself as “a bit of a centrist.”
“But that said,” he added, “I think that the Democratic Party is aligned with many of my values.”
Bevere has been a prosecutor for two decades and a lawyer for 25 years, according to his announcement. During his time as a prosecutor, he has served in the state’s attorney’s offices in Chittenden, Addison and Rutland counties.
