WATERBURY, Vt. — Three Vermont State Police troopers have resigned after being accused of making fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards.
The department saystroopers Shawn Sommers, Raymond Witkowski, and David Pfindel stepped down from the positions over the last several weeks after another officer raised concerns with supervisors about their conduct.
Police say the former troopers are suspected of having varying roles in the creation of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, which may be a violation of federal law. The details surrounding the incident have been reported to federal law enforcement and the FBI is investigating.
The director of the Vermont State Police, Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, said in a statement that he’s disappointed in the troopers and that the alleged actions of the former officers involve an extraordinary level of misconduct.
“If these allegations are proved to be true, it is reprehensible that state troopers would manipulate vaccination cards in the midst of a pandemic, when being vaccinated is one of the most important steps anyone can take to keep their community safe from COVID-19,” said Birmingham.
He added the alleged conduct does not represent the values of the men and women of the Vermont State Police.
“Based on an initial internal review, we do not believe there is anything more the state police could have done to prevent this from occurring,” said Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Michael Schirling. “As soon as other troopers became aware of this situation, they raised the allegations internally, and commanders took swift and decisive action to hold these individuals accountable and report this matter to federal authorities.”
