After a lengthy investigation, then a review by outside officials, a candidate to lead the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office was formally charged Monday with simple assault — a charge to which he pleaded not guilty.
John Grismore already lost his job as a deputy in the office. The retiring sheriff, Roger Langevin, fired him this summer after watching video showing Grismore using force against a handcuffed and shackled detainee, who investigators said was also drunk.
Monday, at a hearing Grismore did not attend, his lawyer answered to the single charge his client is facing.
“We we filed a waiver of appearance, and I am prepared to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf,” defense attorney Bob Katims told the judge.
No court-ordered conditions were placed on Grismore, who is free on his own recognizance.
As NECN previously reported, video approved by Langevin for public release showed Grismore appearing to kick the man, who had been described by law enforcement officials as unruly.
When he told his version of events, Grismore explained he was off-duty but at the office completing paperwork, when he had concerns the man would spit on him or his colleagues — something he took seriously since he told Northwest Access TV his father died from complications of COVID-19.
Grismore also disputed the use of the word “kick,” claiming he was forcefully shoving the man with his foot to keep him at a distance due to the spitting concern.
Despite that defense, new court paperwork shows Grismore’s own colleagues labeled his handling of the man as “not cool” and “really aggressive,” with no attempt made at de-escalation.
The case upended the race for sheriff in Franklin County, because Grismore had looked like a sure thing to win election as sheriff. He was the only name on the ballot and had support initially from both county Republicans and Democrats.
However, when the video came out after the primary, the parties rescinded their backing. In a rare move of unity, they are now supporting Mark Lauer, who is mounting an uphill write-in campaign.
“I’m 110% committed,” Lauer told NECN & NBC10 Boston last month in a story about his candidacy.
Reached by phone Monday, Lauer declined to comment on the arraignment of his former colleague and current opponent in the campaign.
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Another write-in candidate, Gale Messier, is also vying for the job. Grismore has also announced he is staying in the race.
After Monday’s arraignment, reporters asked the prosecutor, brought in from another county for independence, about the timing of the criminal charge — so close to Election Day.
“The election had nothing to do with it in terms of my decision,” said Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito. “It’s not a concern that I have as a state’s attorney.”
DiSabito added that he did not have prior dealings with Grismore.
In a written statement to NECN & NBC10 Boston’s Vermont affiliate, NBC5 News, the candidate-turned-suspect said the charge “dismayed” him. Grismore additionally claimed he used the minimum amount of force to keep the cuffed man from spitting on him.
“Although this latest step is unfortunate, I look forward to the opportunity to definitively, once and for all, clear my name,” Grismore wrote. “I fully believe in our criminal justice system, having served within it for the better part of 25 years, and I am confident that once all the facts are exposed, I will be promptly and completely vindicated. As my grandfather always said, ‘Justice will prevail.’”
The question over the next two weeks will be whether voters in Franklin County agree that Grismore did nothing wrong.
