He flipped off a trooper and got charged. Now Vermont is on the hook for $175,000

[Pelican Press 0]

He flipped off a trooper and got charged. Now Vermont is on the ***** for $175,000

ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a man who was charged with a ****** for giving a state trooper the middle finger in 2018, the state chapter of the ********* Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

was filed in 2021 by the ACLU of Vermont on behalf of Gregory Bombard, of St. Albans. It says Bombard’s First Amendment rights were violated after an unnecessary traffic stop and retaliatory arrest in 2018.

Trooper Jay Riggen stopped Bombard’s vehicle in St. Albans on Feb. 9, 2018, because he believed Bombard had shown him the middle finger, according to the lawsuit. Bombard denied that but says he did curse and display the middle finger once the initial stop was concluded.

Bombard was stopped again and arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct, and his car was towed. He was jailed for over an hour and cited to ********* court, according to the ACLU. The charge was eventually dismissed.

Under the settlement signed by the parties this month, the state has agreed to pay Bombard $100,000 and $75,000 to the ACLU of Vermont and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression for legal fees.

“While our client is pleased with this outcome, this incident should never have happened in the first place,” said Hillary Rich, staff attorney for the ACLU of Vermont, in a statement. “Police need to respect everyone’s First Amendment rights — even for things they consider offensive or insulting.”

The Vermont State Police did not have a comment on the settlement. Vermont did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the deal.

Bombard said in a statement provided by the ACLU that he hopes the Vermont State Police will train its troopers “to avoid silencing criticism or making baseless car stops.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. |

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Vermont,********* Civil Liberties Union,Vermont State Police,Gregory Bombard,First Amendment rights
#flipped #trooper #charged #Vermont #*****

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

For verified travel tips and real support, visit: https://hopzone.eu/