WOODSTOCK — Vermont State Police arrested Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer on Tuesday on multiple criminal charges including two counts each of lewd and lascivious conduct and aggravated stalking with a weapon, the Vermont Standard has learned.

Palmer, 39, of Windsor is due to be arraigned on 12 criminal charges in Vermont Superior Court in Rutland on Wednesday afternoon.

His defense lawyer, Dan Sedon of Chelsea said Tuesday the plan is for the first-term sheriff to enter not guilty pleas to the charges. Sedon said he and his client know little about the case: neither has been presented any criminal charges or affidavits.

The criminal charges also include two counts each of obstruction of justice, soliciting prostitution, inciting a felony and accessory before the fact, Vermont State Police later confirmed in a news release.

Investigators secured search warrants, including for Palmer’s home and his vehicle. A delegation of Vermont State Police officers were dispatched to the Main Street home. Among the things detectives were seeking were cellphones, computers, and other electronics, police said.

Another group of state police officers took Palmer into custody and placed him in handcuffs at his county office on Pleasant Street for the ride to the state police barracks in Westminster for processing.

State police released Palmer on a court citation pending his arraignment. A state judge ordered Palmer to follow an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew Tuesday night.

Palmer, who serves on the selectboard for the town of Windsor, is a former board chair.

All of the criminal charges are felonies, except for the two solicitation counts, police said.

Palmer has placed former Chief Deputy Sheriff Claude Weyant, the elected high bailiff in charge. Weyant has served with the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department for over 20 years and has been in law enforcement for almost 40 years, the department website said.

Weyant will be coordinating with the next two highest ranking officers: Lts. Rick King and Andy Leonard to help run the department.

Vermont News First will post more information as it becomes available.

The investigation began in July 2025, when VSP received numerous anonymous tips through the Vermont Tip Line claiming possible misconduct surrounding the Windsor County Sheriff’s Office, specifically its finances and the management of funds, state police said.

The case was assigned to detectives from the Vermont State Police in the Derby barracks to avoid any local potential conflicts of interest in pursuing the matter.

Windsor County State’s Attorney Ward Goodenough also stepped away from the case and sent it to Bennington County, where veteran State’s Attorney Erica Marthage and deputy Jared Bianchi will handle the prosecution.

During the investigation, VSP said it received more anonymous tips pertaining to the financial situation and also information about possible sexual misconduct regarding Palmer.

Over subsequent months, state police identified several victims, who provided statements and evidence that supported the sexual misconduct allegations, according to Detective Sgt. David Robillard of the Derby barracks.

Robillard said the investigation into the allegations remains open and active. He urged anybody with information about the claims to call state police in Derby at (802) 334-8881.

The president of the Vermont Sheriff’s Association (VSA) said her colleagues recognize the extreme gravity of these charges.

“We are deeply disappointed and troubled by these developments, as they strike at the core of the public trust that is essential to the mission of law enforcement,’ Orleans County Sheriff Jennifer Harlow told Vermont News First.

“Our immediate concern is for the integrity of public safety services in Windsor County. The VSA is committed to supporting the dedicated employees of the Windsor County Sheriff’s Office during this difficult time,” she said.

“We also stand with the citizens and community members of Windsor County to ensure that they continue to receive the professional law enforcement services they expect and deserve,” Harlow stated.

“The VSA remains an organization dedicated to the highest standards of ethics and service,” she said in her email.

She said additional comments should come from the prosecutors or Sheriff Palmer’s legal counsel.

Palmer started his law enforcement career with the Claremont, N.H. Police in Fall 2006. He completed the full-time Police Academy in Concord, N.H.

He later worked for the Windsor Police, but left after a November 2014 officer-involved shooting that wounded a suspect during a drug buy.

Former Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell charged Palmer with aggravated assault with a weapon and reckless endangerment, but he was found not guilty at a 4-day trial when Sedon, the defense lawyer, helped clear him in 2017.

The town of Windsor later agreed to pick up the $62,000 defense tab for Palmer, who insisted he was in fear for his life with the suspect driving at him.

Palmer had gone out of state to work private security after the shooting, but returned and eventually ran for sheriff.

Palmer, a Democrat, upset longtime Windsor County Sheriff D. Michael Chamberlain, a Republican, during the General Election in November 2022 and was sworn in Feb. 1, 2023.

Palmer had edged Lt. Thomas Battista, a 20-year veteran of the sheriff’s department in the Democratic primary in September 2022.

Palmer’s seat for sheriff will be up for grabs this November.