Former Deputy Sheriff Sentenced

By Michael Donoghue
RUTLAND HERALD CORRESPONDENT
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. — A former Orange County deputy sheriff, who fired two gunshots during an off-duty road rage incident in Williamstown three years ago, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court on Wednesday to 18 months to 10 years in prison.

A jury found William J. Pine, 51, guilty in April for two felony charges of attempted aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of false information to Vermont State Police during the subsequent investigation of the incident.

Pine was a patrol sergeant and a K-9 handler for the sheriff’s department, but was off-duty, not in uniform and in his private vehicle during the incident about 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 7, 2019. Orange County Sheriff William Bohnyak initially suspended Pine, whom he hired in 2017, without pay and said he fired him after the jury verdict.

The day after the shooting incident, Kevin Goodale, then 41, of Brookfield, and Nathan Lyonnais, then 37, of Barton, told state police they were driving on Stone Road in Williamstown when someone began to tailgate their Jeep.

When they reached Route 64, the trailing motorist pulled his Nissan Titan pickup in front of them at a 45 degree angle, state police said. Lyonnais, who was at the wheel, drove off, but the men heard two gunshots. One went through the rear window and struck the front seat nearly missing the driver, who was leaning forward, officials said. The second shot reportedly hit the Jeep’s bumper.

The second driver, later identified as Pine, yelled he was a deputy sheriff as the two men fled, records show. The victims went to authorities the next day to report the incident.

Goodale and Lyonnais both told the court Wednesday that they were in fear for their lives during the incident. They said they have both moved out of state because of continued fear when Pine was released on conditions from court. While they had respect for law enforcement before the incident, they said they now have trust issues with police officers.

Goodale and Lyonnais filed a civil lawsuit in federal court last month against Pine for his actions. They also named Bohnyak as a defendant for his alleged failure to properly hire, train and retain the deputy, the lawsuit said.

Pine apologized to the two men and said he wanted to earlier, but the litigation blocked him from approaching the victims.

“I regret my actions,” he said during about 12 minutes of comments. Pine said the case also has seriously affected his family. He said his five children have been bullied because of the case. He said he lost 30 pounds, friends and his job.

Pine, who was living in Brookfield at the time, said his family has had to sell everything because he lost his job and said his wife, Deputy Sheriff Carrie Pine, plans to leave her job at the department.

Judge Timothy B. Tomasi on Wednesday imposed 17 months to nine years and six-months for each of the felony attempted assault convictions and said they would be served at the same time. He tagged on a one-month to six-month sentence for the misdemeanor false information to police conviction.

The judge said he would give credit to Pine for 121 days he has spent at a secure facility in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he had checked into be treated for his post traumatic stress disorder.

Sleigh asked the court not to jail Pine, but to fashion a sentence that would allow Pine to continue his out-of-state treatment and be monitored by probation. He said a suspended one-to-eight-year sentence would be appropriate.

Assistant Attorneys General Paul Barkus and Robert Lees argued that the court needed to send a message that the criminal conduct was unacceptable.

Lees said a total sentence of four to 10 years in prison with credit for the 121 days would be proper. Tomasi asked about the prison time and Lees said it was needed to send a message that the court took the case seriously. Straight probation would not do it, he said.

Barkus said while it appeared to be an off-duty case, he believed it became an on-duty incident as soon as Pine declared he was a deputy sheriff and made the tactical move with his truck to block the Jeep.

Tomasi heard about 90 minutes of statements from the two victims, witnesses, lawyers and Pine during the morning. The judge took a nearly three-hour break to consider the information, along with the pre-sentence investigation by the probation office and other evidence before coming back onto the bench to deliver his written findings.

Tomasi noted Pine had an extraordinary 23-year career in the U.S. Army, including two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. The judge noted that Pine had support from Bohnyak, his chief deputy, Capt. Scott Clouatre and Sgt. Joshua Macura, among others at the sheriffs office.

The defendant’s wife, Carrie Pine, also prepared remarks for the court about the impact the case has had on her husband, their five children, who she says have been bullied, and on her. Carrie Pine, who is a full-time certified police officer, said she plans to step down from the department at the end of this month. She became emotional while giving the statement and defense lawyer David Sleigh read the remainder.

Carrie Pine was in a serious car crash when struck by a drunk driver while in Ohio for K-9 training with her dog Diesel in April 2020. It demolished a department cruiser and put her on the sidelines without pay.

Tomasi ordered the prison term to begin immediately. Sgts. Ray Herb and Michael Gilderdale, of the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, transported Pine to the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield to begin his sentence.

Pine had served as a Berlin police officer from September 2015 to May 2017 before joining Orange County.