MONTPELIER – Washington County Deputy State’s Attorney Zach Weight was named Thursday as the new special prosecutor in Chittenden County to help bring relief to the backlog of service-resistant repeat offenders that continue to clog the criminal court, police and mental health systems.

Gov. Phil Scott announced the appointment as part of the newly created Chittenden County Community Accountability Court to address the backlog of criminal cases, especially with the ongoing repeat offenders.
Scott unveiled the creation of the court last Friday and said a judge dedicated to the pilot project, which is expected to last 3 to 4 months, also needs to be assigned.  The judge may come from a list of recently retired judges that would be able to devote fulltime to the special court for the 3 months.

Vermont judges are reluctant to send people to jail, but the hope is the judge selected for the program will be willing to use jail as a “timeout option” to address the needs of the repeat offenders and also protect the public.  Court-ordered drug and mental health counseling also would be options.
The pilot project comes after Scott met with Progressive Party Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak in response to increased concerns about the crimes and disorder in Burlington that have created a poor quality of life.

Weight, who lives in Milton, will be a fresh set of eyes looking at how to resolve the Chittenden County cases involving so-called “frequent flyers.”   Burlington Police recently reported they have 20 criminals with nearly 850 pending cases clogging the court docket.  It is unclear how many cases they have in other towns in the county.

Scott and other politicians say they have heard a flood of complaints from the general public about the ongoing “catch and release” judicial system in Vermont that rarely holds anybody fully accountable for their criminal behavior.  The legislature has talked about trying to put teeth back into the court system, but has not provided adequate funding.

The Accountability Court is another unfunded state program and the Vermont Legislature when it returns to Montpelier in January will need to address financing it if the pilot program is to continue in Chittenden County and expand to the rest of the state.  Besides a prosecutor and judge, the pilot program also needs to cover the cost of additional court staff, including clerks and security officers and deputy sheriffs for transport officers.
A fourth courtroom at the Edward J. Costello Courthouse on Cherry Street will be dedicated to the program.

Scott and politicians say they have heard from the public, including police officers, that they have become frustrated or demoralized by decisions by the courts and the office of Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George to either not file criminal charges, to reduce charges to the lowest level, or to allow defendants to avoid criminal convictions by sending cases to the Diversion Program or offering deferred sentences, which allow for records to be wiped clean.

The ongoing lack of accountability has led to a large number of repeat offenders, who tend to ignore judicial orders, including conditions of release and terms of probation.  They are released back into the public.

Weight will report to Gov. Scott and his staff and not State’s Attorney George.  The judge will help set hearing to try to ensure cases are quickly resolved and not dragged out, like under the current system.

Weight will be asked initially to focus on criminals who have five or more open cases and are awaiting trial.

“I believe Zach has the skills needed to take on this role as we focus on holding repeat offenders accountable and connecting people to the services they need,” Gov. Scott said. “I’m hopeful this short-term assignment will help address some of the issues facing Burlington and know Zach will serve Vermont well.”

Weight has served as Deputy State’s Attorney in Washington County since April 2023. For a decade prior to joining that office, he was a criminal defense attorney who practiced in all 14 of Vermont’s counties. A graduate of Vermont Law School, his family hails from Proctor and Wallingford.

Weight said he appreciated the opportunity Scott has given to serve as a Special Prosecutor.
“Consistent with his mission, I will strive to ensure speedy and fair accountability for all parties,” Weight said.  He made clear that public safety is key to the success of the pilot program.

“My focus is to champion public safety, uphold due process for defendants, and provide compassionate support for victims. I look forward to working efficiently with the Judiciary, defense counsel, the Chittenden County State’s Attorney, law enforcement, and our community partners to pursue justice in these matters.”
Tim Lueders-Dumont, executive director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, said the courts are flooded.
“The data is clear: the surge in serious violent crime, including a nearly 170% increase in homicides over the last decade, is pushing every other case type to the back of the judicial line,” Lueders-Dumont said.
“Our courts and State’s Attorneys are clearing cases at over a 100% rate, yet a staggering list of over 22,000 cases remain.

“Statewide, we know that over 44% of all pending dockets relate to persons with three or more pending cases. Establishing a rapid-intervention accountability court is a practical and necessary step to reduce the time between offense and consequence for repeat offenders—specifically for those 50-70 individuals who occupy an outsized amount of court time and law enforcement time in Chittenden County,” he said.

Washington County State’s Attorney Michelle Donnelly said Weight is the right man for the job.

“My office, and our department, are proud to lend an experienced and hardworking prosecutor to fill this vital role,” she said.
“Attorney Weight’s years of experience and litigation in the Washington County office, grounded in a philosophy of ethical and timely justice, make him uniquely qualified to ensure a speedy and fair resolution for all involved. This effort is a clear demonstration of the statewide collaborative and team approach required to serve the public interest.”

Gov. Scott said he plans to roll out more details in the coming days.