Vermont House adopts committee amendment and advances resolution calling on Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore to resign

The Vermont House on the floor advanced House Resolution 18, which calls on Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore to resign his office.

Representative McCarthy, speaking for the House Government Operations and Military Affairs committee, summarized the special committee on impeachment inquiry and read its report to the chamber. The committee reviewed two primary concerns: an inappropriate use-of-force incident that is the subject of a criminal trial and led to the permanent revocation of Sheriff Grismore’s law-enforcement certification, and a series of payroll and check-writing actions, performed while Grismore had payroll responsibilities under then‑Sheriff Langevin, that resulted in checks written to Grismore totaling more than $16,000 that should have gone to the Vermont state employees’ retirement system. The committee noted that one of Sheriff Langevin’s final acts restored more than $20,000 to the pension fund.

McCarthy told members the committee “did not recommend an article of impeachment,” citing the high bar for impeachment in Vermont’s part‑time legislature, but said the report’s findings and the seriousness of the matters led the committee to recommend that the House adopt the resolution calling on Mr. Grismore to resign. “The resolution before us calls on mister Grismore to resign his office for the benefit of the people of Franklin County,” McCarthy said on the floor.

A floor member from South Burlington thanked the special committee and emphasized the difficulties of pursuing impeachment while urging the sheriff to step down to preserve public trust. The committee’s recommendation was recorded in committee as 101–1.

By voice vote the House agreed to the committee’s recommended amendment and then ordered third reading. No articles of impeachment were moved on the floor during the session.