NORTH HERO, Vt. (WCAX) – Trial began Monday for the top cop of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff John Grismore is accused of simple assault for kicking a detainee. The case has already cost him his law enforcement credentials, but Grismore maintains he did nothing wrong.
Nearly two years after the alleged assault, Grismore faced a jury.
The case stems from an alleged assault in August 2022.
“Sheriff Grismore, out of uniform and off duty, kicked Mr. Burrows in the abdomen and groin area not once but twice,” Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito said.
Grismore was suspended after the video
After video of the incident was released in 2022, Grismore was suspended and then fired from his job as a captain in the sheriff’s department. He later won the election to become sheriff.
Now, a defendant accused of simple assault, Grismore watched the video along with the jury.
The trial is being held in nearby Grand Isle County to avoid conflicts of interest in Franklin County.
In his opening statement, Prosecutor DiSabito said Grismore broke the code of conduct for law enforcement officers.
“John Grismore betrayed this badge when he used excessive and unreasonable force upon the body of Jeremy Burrows,” DiSabito said.
The defense says Grismore stepped in to help contain an erratic detainee.
“He was off duty that day in the sheriff’s department doing paperwork that he inserted himself into this exchange because there were two relatively inexperienced deputies trying to handle this,” said Robert Kaplan, Grismore’s attorney.
He denies an aggressive kick.
“He used a foot push to try to seat Mr. Burrows on the bench,” Kaplan said.
The trial is expected to last for several days and Grismore himself is expected to take the stand as a witness.