Washington County Reviews 100 Cases After Officer Credibility Letter

Washington County prosecutors are reviewing about 100 pending criminal cases after a Brady-Giglio letter raised questions about the credibility of Barre City police officer Matthew Frey. The letter was filed Friday by Orange County State's Attorney Colin Seaman, who reviewed a Vermont State Police investigation to avoid a conflict of interest with the Washington County office.

Washington County State's Attorney Michelle Donnelly said Wednesday that she will no longer call Frey as a witness. Frey is listed as a lead investigator or witness in roughly 100 cases. "If the state cannot prove the case without him as a witness, I am dismissing those cases," Donnelly said. She said her office is still reviewing the files and she does not yet know how many will be dropped.

The review traces to a May arrest. According to the Brady-Giglio letter, Frey began a relationship with the woman he arrested while the charges against her were pending. The letter states he exchanged messages with her, mostly on Snapchat, and received partially nude photos from her. In September, the letter says, Frey went to the woman's house, where a sexual encounter took place, and told her to keep the meeting private. The woman later filed a complaint with law enforcement and alleged Frey coerced her. The criminal case against her has been dismissed.

Seaman said the investigation did not produce charges against Frey but did reveal conduct that required a disclosure. "You can imagine the person being in this position and could feel afraid to decline these advances because it could hurt their case," Seaman said. "Police can't do this, this is absolutely unacceptable behavior from our law enforcement." He wrote in the letter that the alleged behavior "exploits a dangerous power imbalance."

Frey joined the Barre City Police Department two years ago and serves as a sergeant and helicopter crew chief in the Vermont Army National Guard, according to his attorney, Caroline Earle, and a Guard spokesperson. The spokesperson said by email that the Guard is aware of the allegations but could not comment on any internal investigation. "He served our city well, and these allegations are certainly creating an unprecedented cloud over his reputation," Earle said.

Earle said her client was not interviewed by prosecutors before the letter was issued. "The whole point of the criminal justice system is that you're innocent until proven guilty, and certainly Matt has not been given the benefit of the doubt," she said. "That suggests to me that they are not rigorous in their review and they're not thoughtful in their process."

Frey was placed on administrative leave earlier this month. Barre Police Chief Braedon Vail said by email that an internal investigation is underway to determine whether department policies were violated. Barre is a city of roughly 16,000 people in Washington County, about 6 miles southeast of Montpelier.