Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Eva P. Vekos, 54, was today arraigned in Vermont Superior Court, Addison Criminal Division, with the crime of Driving While Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor (DUI).
The charge Ms. Vekos faces is the result of an incident that occurred on January 25, 2024, shortly after 8:00 p.m. in Bridport, Vermont. According to affidavits of probable cause authored by multiple Vermont State Police (VSP) troopers, Ms. Vekos, who currently serves as the Addison County State’s Attorney, drove to a potential crime scene where she met with VSP detectives.
These detectives and other troopers noticed Ms. Vekos emanating an odor of intoxicants and speaking with slurred speech. The troopers then informed Ms. Vekos that they had concerns about her driving and Ms. Vekos admitted to consuming alcohol.
When troopers asked Ms. Vekos if she would submit to Standardized Field Sobriety Tests meant to assess an individual’s level of impairment, she refused. Troopers then arrested Ms. Vekos and took her to VSP Barracks where Ms. Vekos refused to submit a sample of her breath on the evidentiary-based test machine known as the DataMaster.
At her arraignment this afternoon, Judge Thomas A. Zonay presiding, Ms. Vekos pleaded not guilty to the charge of DUI #1, a violation of 23 V.S.A. § 1201(a)(2), and was released on her own recognizance.
The Court on its own motion, without objection from either party, changed venue from Addison County to Chittenden County, ordering all further court appearances in this matter to take place in Chittenden County Superior Court. DUI #1 is a misdemeanor and carries a potential sentence of up to two years in prison and/or $750.00 fine.
The Attorney General’s Office emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: 2.12.2024. Vermont Attorney General’s Office
