DiSabito Dui Attorney Arrested After 0.084 BAC at Courthouse
Grand Isle County State’s Attorney Douglas DiSabito, a dui attorney, was arrested on April 14 after police said he drove to the Franklin County Superior Court in St. Albans and later blew a 0.084 blood alcohol concentration. He was released that evening after the arrest.
St. Albans Courthouse Arrest
DiSabito arrived at the courthouse after driving from his father’s nursing home at 1:30 p.m., according to the affidavit. Court employee Samantha Trayah told police that he pulled into the parking lot rather quickly, honked his horn and said, “I just had to do it”.
Heidi Tessier told police that DiSabito was unusually cheerful and giddy and that his breath smelled of alcohol. Capt. Chad Miles confronted him after court employees alerted him to possible intoxication, and DiSabito told Miles, “You can’t put me behind the wheel”.
DiSabito’s Breath Test
Miles said DiSabito seemed confused and smelled of alcohol. Goldman said he had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, and he failed a field sobriety test after losing his balance during the walking and one-leg stand. After waiving his Miranda rights, he agreed to a Breathalyzer test at the St. Albans Police Department, where police said he registered 0.084.
DiSabito first told Goldman that he was not taking any prescription medications. He later said he was taking prescribed Xanax for stress and had taken two prescribed Xanax pills before getting behind the wheel earlier in the day.
Sarah George Case Assignment
The case will be handled by Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, who said she does not comment on cases before arraignment. DiSabito was first elected in 2014 and has won re-election without challengers in every election since then.
The affidavit is the first detailed account of what police say they observed that afternoon, and the filing arrives after DiSabito said last month that he would seek both Democratic and Republican nominations. Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos faced similar charges two years earlier, pleaded no contest in December, and had her law license temporarily suspended just days before DiSabito’s citation.
