ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a man who was charged with a crime for giving a state trooper the middle finger in 2018, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday.
The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by the ACLU of Vermont on behalf of Gregory Bombard, of St. Albans. It says Bombard's First Amendment rights were violated after an unnecessary traffic stop and retaliatory arrest in 2018.
Trooper Jay Riggen stopped Bombard’s vehicle in St. Albans on Feb. 9, 2018, because he believed Bombard had shown him the middle finger, according to the lawsuit. Bombard denied that but says he did curse and display the middle finger once the initial stop was concluded.
Bombard was stopped again and arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct, and his car was towed. He was jailed for over an hour and cited to criminal court, according to the ACLU. The charge was eventually dismissed.
Under the settlement signed by the parties this month, the state has agreed to pay Bombard $100,000 and $75,000 to the ACLU of Vermont and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression for legal fees.
“While our client is pleased with this outcome, this incident should never have happened in the first place," said Hillary Rich, staff attorney for the ACLU of Vermont, in a statement. “Police need to respect everyone’s First Amendment rights — even for things they consider offensive or insulting.”
The Vermont State Police did not have a comment on the settlement. Vermont did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the deal.
Bombard said in a statement provided by the ACLU that he hopes the Vermont State Police will train its troopers “to avoid silencing criticism or making baseless car stops."
This story has been updated to correct the name of an organization to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, instead of the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression.
This image taken from police dashcam video shows Gregory Bombard getting arrested on Feb. 9, 2018 n St. Albans, Vt. Vermont has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of Bombard who was charged with a crime for giving a state trooper the middle finger in 2018, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (American Civil Liberties Union/Vt. State Police via AP)
This image taken from police dashcam video shows Gregory Bombard getting arrested on Feb. 9, 2018 n St. Albans, Vt. Vermont has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of Bombard who was charged with a crime for giving a state trooper the middle finger in 2018, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (American Civil Liberties Union/Vt. State Police via AP)
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Kip Lewis returned an interception 61 yards for the game-winning touchdown, and No. 21 Oklahoma rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Auburn, 27-21 on Saturday for its first-ever Southeastern Conference win.
“That was my first experience with Sooner magic as a head coach,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “That was an amazing last four drives on offense and defense. ... We played our best ball when it mattered most.”
It was Oklahoma’s first SEC road game after leaving the Big 12. The Sooners bounced back from a loss at home to Tennessee the previous week in their SEC opener.
True freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. gained 230 yards of total offense in his first career start for Oklahoma after replacing Jackson Arnold during the Tennessee game.
The Sooners (4-1, 1-1 SEC) struggled on offense for much of this game, but they took advantage of several missed opportunities by the Tigers (2-3, 0-2). Oklahoma stopped Auburn on fourth down at the 1-yard line in the first quarter, and the Tigers missed two chances at a short field goal late in the second quarter.
Auburn’s Payton Thorne passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns, but his sixth interception of the season turned out to be the decisive play.
“I’ve got to make sure that (Thorne) understands the situation better, and we should’ve had runs there,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “I have to be clearer with him on what we have to do there.”
Oklahoma’s Jovantae Barnes cut into Auburn’s 21-10 lead with 8:32 remaining with a 2-yard touchdown run that was set up by a 60-yard pass from Hawkins to J.J. Hester. The 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Tigers ahead by five points.
Lewis then intercepted Thorne, who was making his return to the starting lineup after a two-game absence, and ran it all the way back with 4:06 left to play.
After a late Oklahoma field goal extended the visitors’ lead to six points, Thorne’s last-second pass came up short of the end zone.
Auburn finished the game with nearly 200 more yards of offense than Oklahoma.
“We didn’t play very well,” Venables said. “But we played amazingly when we needed to.”
Oklahoma: The Sooners’ slow offensive start, marked by a large number of injuries at wide receiver and inconsistent line play, continued Saturday. But Hawkins could provide a real spark going forward with his dual-threat ability alongside what has been a strong defense under Venables so far this season.
Auburn: Penalties, questionable clock management and empty scoring drives continue to haunt the Tigers, who have lost all three of their home games against power-conference opponents this season. Now Auburn will start the toughest stretch of its schedule with a losing record.
After a 22-yard run from Jarquez Hunter with a little more than 11 minutes remaining and a two-score lead, Thorne threw back-to-back incompletions before a run for no gain. That led to a missed 51-yard field goal.
The possession only took 1:31 off the clock, and it opened the door for Oklahoma’s rally.
Oklahoma will have a good chance to climb back into the Top 20 with this road comeback win.
Oklahoma: Has an off week before facing No. 1 Texas in Dallas on Oct. 12.
Auburn: Visits No. 2 Georgia next Saturday.
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Auburn wide receiver Malcolm Simmons catches a pass for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
