St. Johnsbury officer charged with aggravated assault

ST. JOHNSBURY — A St. Johnsbury police sergeant has been charged with aggravated assault following an incident involving excessive use of force during an attempted arrest on Bay Street.

Sgt. George Johnson, a 44-year-old officer from Lunenburg, is accused of unjustifiably stopping John Stelzl, 35, who has no fixed address, near the Honking Bridge around 5:10 p.m. on May 10, and then using excessive force that resulted in significant injuries to Stelzl.

After the altercation, Stelzl required hospital treatment and was later released.

Initially, Stelzl faced multiple charges stemming from the encounter, but these charges were dropped after the Caledonia County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed body-worn camera footage from Johnson.

The footage raised concerns about the sergeant’s conduct, leading St. Johnsbury’s police chief to seek an independent investigation by the Vermont State Police.

Following the investigation, the Caledonia County State’s Attorney’s Office recused itself, and Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Doug DiSabito was asked to evaluate the case for potential criminal charges.

On Aug. 21, Johnson received a citation through his attorney.

Johnson is set to appear for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 9 in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in St. Johnsbury.

Prior to the hearing, media inquiries about the specifics should be directed to the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office.

At this time, no further details have been released, and the affidavit of probable cause will be made public after Johnson’s arraignment.