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Scuffle ensued after attempted arrest for jaywalking
An officer with the St. Johnsbury Police Department is facing a felony charge of aggravated assault arising from his use of force when attempting to arrest a man for jaywalking May 10, in St. Johnsbury, state police say.
According to evidence collected by the Vermont State Police, St. Johnsbury police Sgt. George Johnson lacked sufficient cause to stop 35-year-old John Stelzl at about 5:10 p.m. May 10 as he was walking near the Honking Bridge on Bay Street, and then subsequently employed excessive force during a physical altercation with Stelzl. Stelzl was taken to the hospital , treated for significant injuries, and later released.
Stelzl initially was charged with multiple violations arising from the incident, but the case was dismissed by the Caledonia County State’s Attorney’s Office following a review of Johnson’s body-worn camera footage. State’s Attorney Jessica Zaleski raised concerns about Johnson’s use of force with St. Johnsbury’s police chief, who referred the matter to the Vermont State Police for an independent, outside criminal investigation.
The Caledonia County State’s Attorney’s Office recused itself from this matter and requested that Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito review the case for possible criminal charges.
On Wednesday, Aug. 21 VSP issued Johnson issued a citation through his attorney. Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 9, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in St. Johnsbury. Members of the media should call the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office to confirm details of the hearing.
No additional information is available at this time. The affidavit of probable cause will be filed with the court and made public following Johnson’s arraignment.
Questions about Johnson’s employment status should be directed to the St. Johnsbury Police Department.
Johnson is a popular police officer known for his witty, well-written police reports. He also has served overseas with the Vermont Army National Guard.
As reported by VDC, Johnson reported that Stelzl resisted arrest Friday, May 10, gouged Johnson in the eye, tased him with Johnson’s taser, and was seeking to get his gun out of his holster when another cop helped Johnson subdue him. Johnson wrote in his report:
“Stelzl has a lengthy criminal record (50 pages long) to include 6 felony convictions and 30 misdemeanor convictions. These past convictions include drug crimes and violent crimes such as felony battery on officers and others. St. Johnsbury police have received past complaints about drug activity in this area.
“I drove into the parking area of the pavilion and Stelzl immediately left walking north. When I went north the male then changed directions, heading south. Stelzl then jaywalked in front of me. I informed Stelzl that he had committed the offense of Jaywalking and asked for his name. “Stelzl lied, stating his name was Taylor Hay. I exited my cruiser and Stelzl took off running. I caught up to him and grabbed him and informed him that he was being detained.
“Stelzl then fought. While fighting Stelzl, was informed that he was now under arrest. Stelzl was pepper sprayed, which he then wiped off and with the same hand gouged me in the eye.
“While fighting with Stelzl a crack pip fell out of his pocket. After numerous commands to stop fighting Stelzl was tased. Stelzl then ripped the taser from my hand, turned, it fired. The taser probes struck me in the leg causing my leg to go numb and me to fall.
“Stelzl continued to fight. Ofc. McKendrick Johnson arrived on scene. He later informed me that when he had arrived he observed Stelzl attempting to wrench my gun from my holster. Johnson assisted me in taking Stelzl into custody and Stelzl continued to fight but was eventually overpowered.”
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Categories: Crime
A 50 page criminal record which includes 6 felonies, and he’s walking the streets still? And now the arresting officer is being charged with excessive force after being pepper sprayed and tased by the “suspect” during the arrest?
This charge should immediately not see the light of day and be thrown out of court.
What was the Grand Isle states attorney thinking? Is Sarah George’s influence that powerful in western Vermont? Who hires these attorneys?
This is just another step on Vermont’s road to becoming Californiastan East!
Didn’t you know there is a no limit get out of jail card for Felons here in VT?
Another example of how drugs pouring through our southern border has implications thousands of miles away. Vt is being overrun by druggies along with many other States.
If the account of the incident is true as described in the article, I don’t see how the officer is being charged with anything, nor how the charges against Stelzl were dropped.
My thoughts exactly! This looks like another case of blaming the police and coddling the criminal. Six felony convictions and this guy Stelzl is still walking (jaywalking) the streets Shameful! Vermont “justice” at its most unjust.
If the officer’s account is true, it is State’s Attorney Jessica Zaleski who should be in trouble. But this is Vermont, where crooks walk and cops are made into the victims.
Man I really wish I got one of those free official Biden crack pipe and chapstick crackhead kits for historical documentation and comedic purposes.
I can understand wanting to put pressure on the undesirables in your neighborhood, but this isn’t good precedent. What happens if you rub someone the wrong way, or get removed from a social circle, or something like that in one of these small towns, that shouldn’t automatically give the police the authority to stalk and harass you, and arrest you where there is no precedent for arresting people for something (such as jay walking).
That body cam footage is public owned property. Where is it?
Maybe instead of calling the police on the undesirables, you can find other legal ways to make them uncomfortable enough to leave.
There should also be basic standards for folks who are released from jail. If you don’t have a job or are in good standing you should be separated from society in the first place. They should take this “safe injection site” money, and provide free drugs (big pharma) to these people, so long as they never leave the confines of a designated caged in area. Free drugs for life, so long as you don’t leave. If you leave the confined area, you must first be completely sober, and you can’t come back once you are out. (something kinda like that)
When police try to do their job, and people have no respect for them this is what happens…………….. it’s bad enough that people have no respect it is appalling that the
the legal system, the “state attorney “always say, it the police officer was at fault !!
Why would anyone want to be a police officer in this day and age…..No Respect.
…no respect, no job security, and no assurance that you wont end up being charged with a crime for doing what you are trained for and see as perfectly reasonable…
It really is amazing that ANYONE wants that job, especially in this job market where you have your pick. Most of us shlubs dont have to take an oath to uphold the Constitution when we get hired.
arrest a man for jaywalking may tenth in st. johnsbury///////////// any questions////////// now deal with the drug issue//// just another day at the vermont zoo////
If the perp (not the Officer) was minding his own business and didn’t have a long criminal history, one might question the motives of a law enforcement officer enforcing a jaywalking statute. (We do however have to understand that we now live in an era where government officials use the law to go after even a past president for purposes of political retribution.) In this case, it seemed like a valid excuse to detain someone who is typically up to no good. If you have a problem with how you are treated by a police officer, you comply with their orders and take it up LATER with a judge or other public official. When you initiate physical aggression against that officer, YOU have set into motion a whole new scenario, and subject yourself to arrest, by force if necessary. If a detained or arrested individual then elevates that aggression to gouging the officer in the eye and attempting to disarm him, now the perp has taken it to a level at which deadly force may be justified by the officer. In the post-George Floyd/BLM commie bizarro world that we live in, especially in Vermont, the sworn Officer is the one who must fear for their life, their job and their future. We have our next opportunity to turn this all around on November 5, but I hold out little hope that anything in Vermont will change for the better. I do maintain optimism for the country as a whole. I think we all would like to see the bodycam video and judge for ourselves, since most State’s Attorneys in Vermont these days cannot be trusted to use common sense, as they have been goaded by leftism to instinctively take sides against the police.