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.