The Vermont Attorney General’s Office today announced that Jason Lawton 34, of Fletcher, Vermont, was sentenced after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count of Simple Assault. After a contested sentencing hearing in Vermont Superior Court, Franklin Criminal Division, Mr. Lawton was sentenced to serve three to six months in jail.
In November of 2019, Mr. Lawton, formerly a sergeant with the St. Albans Police Department, was charged with Simple Assault after striking an individual who was in his custody at the St. Albans Police Department and handcuffed in a holding cell. Mr. Lawton was subsequently terminated from the St. Albans Police Department.
Simple Assault is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of not more than one year and a fine of $1,000 or both.
At the sentencing hearing, the Attorney General’s Office requested a six-month term of incarceration. The Court, Judge Martin Maley presiding, ordered Mr. Lawton to self-report to the Northwest State Correctional Facility by January 14, 2023.
Contact: Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171