Sheriff investigation in attorney general's hands
Toolbox
By Josh O'Gorman STAFF WRITER - Published: November 17, 2009
WOODSTOCK — The investigation into the award-winning former captain of the Windsor County Sheriff's Department is now in the hands of the criminal division of Attorney General's office.
Investigators have completed inquires into the conduct of Thomas Herb, said Sheriff D. Michael Chamberlain. Herb is the former second-in-command of the sheriff's department.
Many details surrounding the investigation are still unclear — such as who conducted it and what prompted it in the first place — and Chamberlain offered few details Monday other than saying the investigation is complete.
"It's a confidential employee matter and that's all we can say right now," said Chamberlain, who in mid-August asked an outside agency to investigate Herb, the first time he had taken such an action in his 27 years as sheriff.
Herb gave notice before resigning Aug. 29 — after the investigation began — and was replaced by Capt. Richard Kelley.
Chamberlain said he reviewed the results of the investigation and forwarded them to Windsor County State's Attorney Robert Sand.
"I received the results of an investigation that was conducted at Mike Chamberlain's request of one of his employees," Sand said. "Because of our close working relationship, this represented a conflict for our office and I asked the Attorney General's office to review it."
Assistant Attorney General Cindy Maguire, chief of the criminal division, did not shed any more light on the investigation.
"I can confirm that we got that referral and we are reviewing it right now," Maguire said, declining to say what charges Herb might be facing.
Herb joined the sheriff's department as a part-time deputy in 2002 and rose to the rank of captain, where he oversaw the transportation of incarcerated defendants to White River Junction District Court, scheduled patrols and supervised drunken driving checkpoints. In 2008, Herb received the Highway Safety Award from the Governor's Highway Safety Program for his work with the "Click It or Ticket" campaign.
Herb does not have a listed phone number and efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.
josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com
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