2 troopers face criminal charges over bean bag gun incident

WATERBURY, Vt. (WCAX) - Two Vermont State Police troopers face possible criminal charges over an incident last summer in Windham County.

It happened in June at a home on Route 30 in Newfane. Troopers were called after a report of someone acting irrationally and causing damage. When Vermont State Police Sgt. Ryan Wood and Trooper Zack Trocki arrived, they found Marshall Dean, 61, on the roof. At the time, the troopers said they tried to de-escalate the situation but were not successful. Eventually, they shot a non-lethal bean bag round at Dean, which hit him. He ended up falling about 15 feet to the ground, sending him to the hospital with serious injuries.

According to the Vermont Troopers’ Association, Wood and Trocki are now facing charges. The organization says Attorney General Charity Clark determined the use of a less lethal shotgun round to gain compliance was not justified and that the AG is directing state police to cite the troopers for simple assault and reckless endangerment. The association says the use-of-force incident should have been addressed in an internal affairs investigation and that the case “sets dangerous precedent for our membership and will impact all Vermont law enforcement.”

The Attorney General’s Office declined to comment, saying it was an ongoing case.

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