GLOVER, Vt. (WCAX) – The Vermont State Police say they have found no evidence to support criminal charges connected to a collision between a town grader and Vermont Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers.
Dashcam footage from a Town of Glover grader recorded the moment on July 8 when Rodgers’ truck made contact with the municipal vehicle as he passed on the narrow dirt road that bears his name. Neither Rodgers nor grader operator Scott Pray was injured in the minor crash.
State Police initially wouldn’t comment on the crash because they said the incident was being reviewed for possible criminal charges. A public records request by WCAX now reveals that Rodgers initiated the complaint, believing the crash was intentional. He alleged that Pray targeted him, telling troopers that the grader “was clearly coming towards me.”
The dispute comes as the Republican lieutenant governor in recent months has escalated his feud with Glover over the road, claiming he owns a middle section of the road and wants to install gates that would prevent it from being a through-road. The town voted in May to retain control of the Class 4 road, prompting Rodger to file a lawsuit.
Vermont State Police redacted the names in the grader report, citing a privacy provision in the state public records law. But the report clearly describes the accident involving Rodgers and the grader and contains the same allegations from other public records.
As for who’s responsible, the investigating officer says: “I believe each operator was operating with due care. However, it’s unclear if (Rodgers) began to turn left ever so slightly too soon before being 100% past the blade of the grader.”
The report goes on to conclude that the grader operator, “was not unreasonably crowding the roadway, nor did he steer into (Rodgers) as he passed, and there is no evidence to support a criminal violation such as negligent operation or assault.”
