Eva Vekos, the embattled state’s attorney in Addison County, has received a deferred sentence of six months probation after pleading no contest on Tuesday to a charge of driving under the influence.
Judge John Pacht accepted Vekos’ plea and issued the deferred sentence over objections from the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, which prosecuted the case and wanted Vekos to plead guilty and serve probation. The misdemeanor can be expunged from Vekos’ record in June as long as she does not violate several conditions, including that she not allow alcohol to “interfere” with her work.
Vekos declined a chance to address the court before receiving her sentence and did not speak to reporters afterward. Her attorney, David Sleigh, called the conclusion “somewhat bittersweet,” arguing that she was treated more harshly than any other DUI suspect would have been.
“But she has an opportunity to get this off her record and expunged, so I guess it’s good that it’s behind us,” he told Seven Days.
The plea brings an end to a criminal case that has dragged on since January 2024, when Vekos was arrested on suspicion of DUI after driving to the scene of a homicide in Bridport.
Vermont State Police troopers say they asked Vekos to take a field sobriety test after noticing that she smelled strongly of alcohol and appeared to be slurring her words. Vekos, who has maintained that she only had a single drink that night, refused, resulting in her license being temporarily suspended. She has since completed the necessary steps to regain her driving privileges.
She has also continued to serve as Addison County’s top prosecutor, despite repeated calls for her resignation. That pressure has only intensified in the wake of a VTDigger story this month that described ethics complaints from crime victims who have accused Vekos of mishandling their cases and of treating them inappropriately. Last week, Gov. Phil Scott joined the Democratic and Progressive state parties in calling for her to step down.
Vekos has disputed allegations that she has mistreated crime victims and has said she does not plan to vacate her office.
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