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By Guy Page
Almost 16 months after a police-involved shooting Attorney General Charity Clark’s office is charging a Rutland police sergeant for firing his gun during a confrontation with two uncooperative out of state brothers as part of a drug investigation.
Following review of an investigation by the Vermont State Police, the Attorney General’s Office on Thursday, Oct. 31, directed VSP to cite Rutland City Police Department Sgt. Andrew Plemmons in connection with a shooting that occurred in the city in July 2023.
Plemmons is due to appear for arraignment Friday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and reckless endangerment. The hearing is expected to occur at 12:30 p.m. in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Rutland.
The charges arise from an incident that occurred July 3, 2023, during which Plemmons shot and wounded two 21-year-old brothers from Springfield, Massachusetts, identified as Randy A. Perez-Coiscou and Andy H. Perez-Coiscou. They have since recovered from their injuries.
The incident occurred when Plemmons and K-9 Officer James Rajda saw a suspicious vehicle parked near the Giorgetti Athletic Complex along Oak Street Extension shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday, July 3, and initiated an investigation. The Perez-Coiscou brothers were the occupants of the car.
During the interaction with police, the car began to move, and Sgt. Plemmons fired his handgun. The car eventually crashed at the end of Oak Street Extension. Rajda received a minor injury to one of his arms during the encounter. A July 5 statement said Vermont State Police had not recovered any weapons connected to the suspects.
As a result of the investigation, Randy Perez-Coiscou was arrested on two charges of felony aggravated assault on a law-enforcement officer. He was turned over to the custody of the Vermont Department of Corrections while remaining hospitalized. He was arraigned by video Wednesday, July 5, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Rutland, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered jailed for lack of $10,000 bail.
Andy Perez-Coiscou received a citation on a charge of possession of fentanyl.
Plemmons, a patrol sergeant, has worked for the Rutland City Police Department since November 2014. Rajda is a patrol K9 officer and has worked for the department since September 2018.
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Categories: Crime
Idiot police. Consensual contact, they can leave whenever they want. At lest be smart enough to find an infraction first. Police should be required to purchase their own individual insurance, and be responsible for their own court fees. Taxpayer is always the loser.
The taxpayers and the good citizens of Burlington would surely be the losers if these dirtbags were allowed to drive off to peddle their drugs around town. I believe the police acted appropriately. In any case, the city can’t afford to lose officers, even temporarily, to such petty, vindictive charges that pull police off the streets when we need them the most.
As someone who values libertarian principles, I actually think drug dealing, especially with substances as deadly as fentanyl, goes against the non-aggression principle. By bringing such a harmful substance into the community, dealers aren’t respecting others’ rights to live safely—they’re increasing risks and potential harm. Law enforcement intervention in these cases aligns with protecting the public and preventing aggression against individuals and communities. Ignoring this issue wouldn’t uphold freedom; it would allow harmful activities to go unchecked, putting residents in jeopardy. And, the suspects could have cooperated. They chose not to.
JP Watson, the headline say Rutland cops not Burlington!
@JP Watson – There are infinite drugs, brought in by your own government. There will always be infinite drugs. What is the point of the police arresting the same 30 people over and over and over? If we don’t keep bad guys separated from society, the police are worthless. We don’t fix accountability by ignoring police accountability and individual responsibility. It’s possible they were doing the right thing, but looks like rookie foolishness from the news report.
My mistake! The cops are in Rutland. Apologies to peaceful, crime-free Burlington.
Marxist cop-hater Charity Clark needs to realize that a moving motor vehicle IS a weapon every bit as much as a police service sidearm. Even if the officer is not directly in it’s path, the act of fleeing in a vehicle during a lawful stop puts the public at risk. If I am on that jury, Officer Plemmons walks, pretty much regardless of details.
Consensual contact is not a “lawful stop”. If you are free to go, you are free to go. There are a million ways to make it a legal stop, but if the cops aren’t smart enough then they should find another job. No shortcuts. Suspicion is not a crime. Burden of proof is on the accuser. There is no legal requirement to help the police investigate yourself.
I can only go off what I’m reading, it’s possible the article doesn’t tell the full story.
Just two more Springfield Mass. tourists doing business in Vermont. JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE VERMONT ZOO.
Back the Blue.
We’ll need more information surely……..
Whay would anyone in their right mind want to be a police officer in a city or town run by Commiecrats?
Let see two alleged drug dealing thugs, if they tried to drive off, well you get what you get from law enforcement, but then again they were probably just leaving church
as alter boys………………………….yeah.
As far as Attorney General Charity Clark, she’s not a fan of the ” Blue ” she’s another disappointment for Vermont, she promotes she’s a Democrat, but we know she’s a progressive, just follow her actions, what a shame for the state.
Keep in mind a vehicle IS a deadly weapon! If one is being questioned/detained while in a vehicle, they should be sure they are free to go BEFORE putting their car in gear…otherwise it could be construed to be an aggressive act and may be treated as such…just saying.
Once again the Vermont justice system prosecuting (and persecuting) the police instead of the criminals and law breakers. No wonder Vermont is becoming like the lawless frontier west.
The only way you are safe to shoot at these tourists is to have them shoot at you first and hope they miss. You have to be put into a self defense position. Maybe getting run over by an automobile is proof enough. Most likely you would have to show and prove injury.
What’s sad is that these two drug dealers will get the same praise George Floyd received.
“During the interaction with police, the car began to move, and Sgt. Plemmons fired his handgun. The car eventually crashed at the end of Oak Street Extension. Rajda received a minor injury to one of his arms during the encounter.” How did one of the police officers receive a “minor injury.” There is not a heck of a lot of information, and given the anti-police attitude of Charity Clark, it well may be another instance of blame the cop, not the crook..