MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont attorney general and the Department of Public Safety are settling a lawsuit involving a 2014 traffic stop by a former Vermont state trooper.
The lawsuit says Trooper Lewis Hatch pulled over a black motorist in Wallingford because snow obscured his vehicle’s registration sticker, which wasn’t illegal at the time. He then searched and seized the car after detecting the faint odor of marijuana.
The Vermont Supreme Court ruled in January that the trooper’s actions were improper.
The state says a settlement was reached on Thursday after a lengthy mediation session.
It says under the terms, Gregory Zullo will get $50,000 plus mediation costs while acknowledging the Vermont State Police’s longstanding commitment to fair and impartial policing.
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