Rory Thibault can remove the interim from his title following his appointment by Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday to the post of Washington County state’s attorney.
The governor had appointed Thibault to the position on an interim basis Jan. 9 following the resignation of former Washington County State’s Attorney Scott Williams, the county’s top prosecutor since 2014. Williams had been on medical leave for several weeks before formally stepping down.
“It’s nice to have a little longer period of time to do the work that needs to be done here,” Thibault said Thursday evening.
Thibault took the oath of office late Thursday afternoon in the governor’s office.
The governor had asked that the Washington County Democratic Committee recommend one or more people for him to consider as a successor to Williams, who served in the post as a Democrat. That committee held a caucus a little less than two weeks ago to hear from those interested in the position.
Thibault was the top choice of the caucus. He placed first on 19 ballots. Ashley Hill, a current Washington County deputy state’s attorney, had five first place votes, and Stephen Craddock, a longtime attorney in Washington County, had two first place votes.
The three names and the vote totals were then forwarded to the governor for consideration.
“I’m very pleased to make this appointment, as Rory has continued to demonstrate his leadership and commitment to serving his community and seeking justice for Vermonters,” Scott said in a statement on Thursday announcing Thibault’s appointment.
Thibault is a Cabot resident and member of that town’s School Board. He is also a former chief deputy in the Washington County state’s attorney office. He most recently served as an assistant attorney general in the criminal division of the Vermont attorney general’s office.
Thibault also has more than seven years of litigation experience, including with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps for the U.S. Army.
The county prosecutor’s position comes up for re-election in November. Thibault said Thursday he intends to run for the post, which has a term of four years.
Thibault takes over as the county’s top prosecutor following a time of tumult in the office.
Williams, in the resignation letter he submitted in January, cited post-traumatic stress disorder in connection with the fatal shooting 2½ years ago of Lara Sobel, a state social worker. Williams responded to the scene of the crime.
Williams had been on medical leave since mid-November. He took medical leave after the sentencing hearing of Jody Herring, who had been convicted of the murder of Sobel and three relatives.
Williams was excused from testifying at Herring’s sentencing, after he filed a motion to quash a subpoena. At the time, Williams was reportedly receiving psychiatric care at the Brattleboro Retreat.
Since Williams took leave, the Washington County state’s attorney’s office has been operating with the help of the state Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs and county attorneys from across Vermont.
Earlier this month, a judge issued a sharply-worded ruling critical of the short-handed Washington County state’s attorney office for failing to give a child sex case the attention it deserved, resulting in him having no choice but to dismiss a felony charge that carried a possible life sentence.
Thibault said Thursday he has been working to increase the size of the office staff. In addition to Thibault, the office currently has three deputy state’s attorneys. Thibault said he is working to fill the one remaining deputy prosecutor position.
“During the interim time period, and I think for the foreseeable future, a lot of focus is going to be on just restoring the normal rhythm of case management, and continuing to do development with the team here,” he said. “In the very near future, I hope to start focusing on a lot bigger and more exciting projects that are out there.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Gov. Scott taps Thibault as Washington County’s top prosecutor.