By Guy Page
A Montpelier woman identified as a longtime Democratic political operative in Vermont and Bernie Sanders senior campaign aide has been charged after New Hampshire police say a Saturday, July 18 traffic incident escalated into an attempt to seize an officer’s firearm during her arrest.
According to the Lebanon, New Hampshire Police Department, officers responded at about 6:13 PM Saturday, July 18, to multiple 911 calls reporting a white Mazda stopped in the middle of Mechanic Street near Slayton Hill, blocking traffic.
Witnesses told police the driver, identified as Sheila Healy, 39, of Montpelier, was yelling at passing motorists and people who stopped to help. Callers also reported Healy claimed a sniper was targeting her and warned that anyone approaching would be shot.
Police said the Hartford VT Police Department had alerted Lebanon officers shortly before the incident that the same vehicle had crossed into New Hampshire with its hazard lights activated after allegedly traveling about 60 mph in a 30 mph zone and running multiple red lights.
When officers arrived, they found Healy attempting to refuel the vehicle with a gasoline can while it remained stopped in the travel lane. Police said she ignored repeated commands to keep her hands visible, re-entered the vehicle, and refused orders to get out.
According to police, officers removed Healy from the vehicle and attempted to place her under arrest. During the struggle, she allegedly pulled away, refused to walk, and reached for an officer’s holstered handgun, attempting to remove it from the duty belt. Officers prevented her from taking the weapon and completed the arrest without injuries.
Healy was held on preventative detention and transported to the Grafton County House of Corrections.
She is charged with attempted taking of a firearm from a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, reckless operation, simple assault on a law enforcement officer, three counts of criminal threatening, and parking or stopping where prohibited. She is scheduled to be arraigned July 20 in Lebanon District Court.
Lebanon Police Chief Phillip Roberts commended the officers’ actions, calling the attempted disarming of an officer “among the most serious and dangerous attacks an Officer can face,” and credited their teamwork and restraint with preventing serious injury.
Healy has worked in Democratic politics for many years. Her online professional profile lists her current position as full-time campaign manager for Friends of Bernie Sanders, a role she reportedly began in July.
However, WCAX reports that a spokesperson for Sanders said in a statement that Healy “has not had any formal role or voluntary role since the end of the 2020 presidential campaign. She is not associated with and does not represent the Friends of Bernie Sanders campaign or the Senate office.”
She previously served as labor outreach director for Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign and has held positions as field director for Sanders’ U.S. Senate reelection campaign, senior advisor to the Vermont Democratic Party, regional vice president of the Vermont AFL-CIO, and executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party.
Court records show she filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the Arizona Democratic Party in 2017 following her dismissal. The suit alleged she had been offered the Vermont Democratic Party executive director position but declined it, based on expectation of a bonus that was not provided.
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Obviously impaired. Probably will be released on conditions although I hope NH will do better than that. Hopefully the next job will be stocking shelves somewhere so she or whatever can do little harm.
why am I not surprised… And I am sure she is now thinking, why didn’t I do this in Sarah George’s county?
Just another example of “Nuts for Bernie !”
Does Fox News own this rag along with multiple radio stations in Northern New England? WCAX had this in their news recently and I asked the same question of that station. Republicans, as long as you have a convicted rapist in the White House as President, you should be careful with your innuendos!
Trained be his old Weathermen supporters???
Here is a step-by-step penalty breakdown for the Bernie Bro.
Hopefully NH has a judiciary that doesn’t reflect VT’s leniency.
1: Felony Charges
Attempted Taking of a Firearm from a Law Enforcement Officer (RSA 642:3-a)
Classification: Class B Felony (Note: An actual taking or an attempt where the gun discharges is a Class A felony, but an attempt without discharge is a Class B felony).
Maximum Jail/Prison Time: 7 years in state prison.
Maximum Fine: $4,000.Statutory Note: Per New Hampshire law, this sentence must be served consecutively to any other terms imposed from the same event.
Section 2: Misdemeanor Charges (Class A)
In New Hampshire, standard criminal misdemeanors involving violence, threats, or obstruction are typically prosecuted as Class A misdemeanors, which carry a maximum penalty of 1 year in jail and a $2,000 fine per count.
Simple Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (RSA 631:2-a)
Classification: Class A Misdemeanor.
Maximum Jail Time: 1 year in county jail.
Maximum Fine: $2,000.
Criminal Threatening (3 Counts) (RSA 631:4)
Classification: Class A Misdemeanor per count (assuming no deadly weapon was used to threaten, which would elevate it to a felony).
Maximum Jail Time: 3 years total (1 year per count).
Maximum Fine: $6,000 total ($2,000 per count).
Resisting Arrest (RSA 642:2)
Classification: Class A Misdemeanor (assuming it did not cause serious bodily injury to the officer, which would make it a felony).
Maximum Jail Time: 1 year in county jail.
Maximum Fine: $2,000.
Disorderly Conduct (RSA 644:2)
Classification: Class A Misdemeanor (if the conduct continued after a request to stop).
Maximum Jail Time: 1 year in county jail.Maximum Fine: $2,000.
Section 3: Motor Vehicle ViolationsViolations in New Hampshire are non-criminal offenses that do not carry jail time.
Reckless Operation / Driving (RSA 265:79)
Classification: Violation (assuming a first offense and speed was under 100 mph).
Maximum Penalty: A fine of up to $1,000 and a mandatory minimum driver’s license revocation of 60 days.
Parking or Stopping Where Prohibited Classification: Violation
Maximum Penalty: A fine of up to $1,400 (New Hampshire maximum cap for unclassified violations is $1,000, plus standard local adjustments).
Total Cumulative Maximum Penalties text Maximum Prison Time: 7 text years State Prison + 6 years County Jail
Fines: $4,000 + $2,000 + $6,000 + $2,000 + $2,000 + $1,000 + $1,400 = $22,400
Note: New Hampshire courts also apply a mandatory 24% penalty assessment fee [on top of] all criminal and traffic fines, which significantly increases the final out-of-pocket financial penalty.
But she’ll plead down, the prosecutor will dismiss all charges except the illegal parking thing, and the judge will give her probation. The result will be that she will become more emboldened in her disrespect for and defiance of authority, violate her probation in some manner, and then receive more probation.
At least if she were in VT.
Not sure how the system does it in NH.
But police aren’t allowed to use “deadly force”.
Seems like these days this sort of behavior will get her promoted in the DNC.
Norma Twombley
July 21, 2026 at 3:39 pm
Does Fox News own this rag along with multiple radio stations in Northern New England? WCAX had this in their news recently and I asked the same question of that station.
Are you seriously asking if FOX owns WCAX? HA HA HA HA!!!!!!
If you think that WCAX is right wing, then you have to be so far left that your GPS won’t even recommend right turns.
VDC is the most informative news site in VT. Without this site, we wouldn’t know half of the real news in this state.