UPDATE: The Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, via its director Allen Gilbert, has taken note of the poll, its unfortunate implications for our justice system and the need to hold police officers legally accountable for their actions. Full disclosure: I am a member of the ACLU-VT and am serving the first year of a term on its board. The following diary represents my personal views and not necessarily those of the ACLU-VT.

The situation is a sad commentary on how badly Vermont police deal with people having a mental illness or crisis.

Isaac Sage was confronted by police who were called to address a trespassing complaint at a gym in Winooski. He struggled with officers, apparently hit Cpl. Jason Nokes in the face, was Tased twice without effect, and shot in the leg by Nokes.

Chittenden County State’s Attorney TJ Donovan convened a grand jury to examine the evidence (certainly more than Attorney Bill “Cops Are Never Wrong” Sorrell has ever done in a questionable shooting involving law enforcement officers). That jury has returned an indictment with two misdemeanors and a felony charge against Cpl. Noyes, who remains on “medical leave.”

The charges against Cpl. Nokes  include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment, and providing false information to the Vermont State Police.

Charges against Isaac Sage, including the misdemeanors of resisting arrest,  and unlawful trespass and two felony counts of assault on police officers, were dropped when he was found to be “insane.” At least Sage is alive to receive treatment for his mental illness, unlike Macadam Mason.

Some questions remain unanswered, such as why the Taser was ineffective (defective? not charged? not applied correctly to achieve maximum shock value?).

Whether or not Nokes is eventually convicted in a court of law, it is a refreshing change in attitude for the county’s top law enforcement member to understand this:

“This case is important because it is a case about public trust,” Donovan told the Burlington Free Press outside the grand jury room at Chittenden Superior Court on Main Street. “It is a case where the standard has to be consistent, that a police officer has to be held to the same standard as an ordinary citizen.”

Meanwhile, the Burlington Free Press is running a poll on its online front page as to whether you think the grand jury’s decision was correct. As of 2:30 p.m., the answers were running two-to-one against the grand jury, with another quarter of respondents saying they didn’t know enough to decide.

Interesting that the Free Press should decide to put a legal question to a vote – I mean, the proceedings of the grand jury are, after all, secret.

Should you care to go vote to support or oppose the grand jury’s decision, click here. You need not be a subscriber to participate.