Vermont
Grand Isle County’s top prosecutor cited for DUI – VTDigger
Updated at 5:34 p.m.
Grand Isle County’s top prosecutor Douglas DiSabito was cited Tuesday for drunken driving after he was allegedly intoxicated in a St. Albans courthouse, according to the St. Albans Police Department.
Police received a call around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday alerting officers to respond to Franklin County Superior Court in St. Albans “for a report of a person in the building who may be under the influence of alcohol,” according to a department press release.
Officers then made contact with Grand Isle County State’s Attorney DiSabito and after “subsequent investigation” arrested him for driving under the influence of alcohol, the release said.
DiSabito is set to appear in court on May 4, according to the release.
The 57-year-old from Alburgh was first elected to lead the prosecutor’s office in 2014 and has won re-election without facing challengers in every election since then, according to the Vermont Secretary of State’s website. DiSabito has said he is running again for re-election in November. Earlier this week he said he would seek both Democratic and Republican nominations, according to WCAX.
DiSabito recently said he wanted the state to pass stricter bail laws, and he thinks the judiciary isn’t doing enough to combat what he sees as a lack of respect for judicial proceedings, according to the Bennington Banner.
“It’s unfortunate for Grand Isle and for law enforcement,” said Gov. Phil Scott at his weekly press conference Wednesday.
DiSabito did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Tim Lueders-Dumont, executive director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, said his department is standing ready to support the county, though he was not yet sure if anyone would take over some of DiSabito’s cases.
“He’s still state’s attorney, he still has his law license,” Lueders-Dumont said.
Lueders-Dumont said he didn’t know which prosecutor would bring the drunken driving case against DiSabito. He declined to comment on the arrest, saying the department doesn’t comment on ongoing criminal matters.
DiSabito’s arrest comes two years after a state prosecutor in Addison County was similarly arrested for drunken driving.
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Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos was arrested for drunken driving in January 2024 when she appeared intoxicated at the scene of a suspicious death investigation. When state troopers arrested Vekos, she declined to do field sobriety tests and asked an officer to let a friend come pick her up, according to court documents. The fallout from her arrest has turned into a more than two-year saga.
Vekos was convicted of the crime in December. The Vermont Supreme Court temporarily suspended Vekos’ law license last week, pending disciplinary proceedings stemming from her drunken driving conviction.
Vekos has challenged the allegations against her and defended her conduct. She has refused to resign.