Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Thomas J Donovan announced today that his Office has reviewed the officer involved shooting incident that occurred on October 18, 2018 in Pownal, Vermont. The Office is declining to prosecute Vermont State Police Trooper Thomas Sandberg for charges related to the non-fatal shooting of Bernard D Rougeau, Jr In reaching this decision, the Office reviewed all the materials provided by the Vermont State Police, who conducted the investigation.
The Office of the State’s Attorney for Bennington County also conducted an independent review and has declined to file criminal charges against Tpr. Sandberg.
Accordingly, Tpr. Sandberg will be returning back to full duty with the Vermont State Police.
Bernard D. Rougeau, Jr. is currently facing criminal charges for allegations closely related to this incident. In accordance with the Vermont Rules of Professional Conduct, neither the Attorney General’s Office nor the Bennington County State’s Attorney’s Office will, at this time, comment further on the specific findings of their reviews. The Offices may release additional information related to their decisions if and when the criminal charges pending against Mr. Rougeau are resolved.
Source: Vermont AG 1.3.2019