MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – A state representative from Bennington faces an ethics probe for harassing a fellow House member, including repeatedly pouring water in his tote bag.
Hidden camera footage released Tuesday by Rep. Jim Carroll, D-Bennington, shows Rep. Mary Morrissey, R-Bennington, pouring several glasses of water into Carroll’s tote bag hanging on a hook at the Statehouse back in April. He says the mysterious water-dumping episodes started at the beginning of the session.
Carroll told WCAX Tuesday he has no idea what prompted the episodes and that Morrissey has since apologized after she was confronted by House leadership. Morrissey did not immediately respond to calls for comment on Tuesday.
WCAX News has also learned that the Legislature’s ethics panel is looking into Morrissey’s behavior. Seven Days reports Morrissey was also denied a key committee seat as a result of the behavior.
Morrissey was first elected to the House in 1996 and is a ranking member of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions.
Carroll has served in the House since he was elected in 2018. He was arrested in February for an alleged DUI. He says that he is currently in treatment.
Carroll says he was reluctant to disclose the video because it would embarrass Morrissey, but that withholding it would subject him to more amplified media criticism. He also says he wanted to be fully transparent with his constituents and all Vermonters.