An Essex police officer pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of domestic assault.
Matthew Walker, 27, of Swanton, entered his not guilty during an arraignment hearing held in Franklin County Superior criminal court. He was released on conditions, including that he not contact the woman he is charged with assaulting.
Walker, a patrol officer with the Essex Police Department, has been placed on administrative leave from that position. According to police, Walker was not a law enforcement officer at the time of the alleged assault.
Vermont State Police said that its Bureau of Criminal Investigation was assigned on May 22 to investigate a reported domestic assault.
It was reported, according to police, that Walker had been involved in multiple incidents of abuse of a woman over a six-year period, including one specific incident of physical force on May 27, 2017.
On Tuesday, the Franklin County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the state police investigation and requested that Walker be cited into court later in the afternoon on the charge of domestic assault.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the charge by state police Detective Sgt. Darren Annis, on May 18, Essex Police Detective Nicholas VanWinkle spoke to the woman’s father who reported “domestic issues” between Walker and the woman.
The father reported he had heard about it from his wife and other daughter, the affidavit stated.
After further investigation, Capt. Ron Hoague of the Essex Police Department spoke to the woman “in the presence” of Franklin County Sheriff Lt. John Grismore on May 20. The woman told him there had been several domestic-related issues between her and Walker over several years, according to the affidavit.
She also spoke of an incident on May 27, 2017, where she said Walker held her down and “he drove my head into the ground,” the affidavit stated.
The woman was asked why she didn’t bring the abuse when she was questioned as part of Walker’s background investigation prior to his hiring with the department, according to the affidavit, and she replied that she didn’t want to get him in trouble.
Annis of the state police wrote in the filing that when he was handed the investigation he tried to contact the woman, and she told that she had already spoken to Essex police about it and didn’t want to talk again about it at the time.
Annis wrote that Walker also declined to be interviewed.
Paul Groce, a public defender who represented Walker at the arraignment Tuesday, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Essex Police Chief Rick Garey said in a statement issued Tuesday that after the department initially started an internal investigation, and once the investigator learned the allegation “may be criminal in nature” handed the investigation over to state police.
“We are deeply troubled by these allegations,” Garey added in the statement. “We are taking all measures to ensure that this matter is investigated fully and appropriate.”
Walker, according to the statement, has worked for the department since January 2018.
The police chief declined further comment.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Essex police officer pleads not guilty to domestic assault charge, placed on leave .