Suspect of Killing Vermont Police Officer in Car Crash Pleads Not Guilty to Charges

Tate Rheaume pleaded not guilty of killing a Vermont police officer during a car crash last July 7. Reports say Rheaume was being chased by officers when his pickup truck collided with a police cruiser.

The pursuit of Tate Rheaume, 20, began after Rheaume broke into the house of his ex-girlfriend with whom he has two children. As a result, the ex-girlfriend took the children to her grandmother’s house. However, the woman’s current boyfriend, who saw in a security camera footage how Rheaume broke into their house, called the authorities.

An article in Fox News states that in the afternoon of July 7, Rheaume was chased by police officers. Unfortunately, Rheaume’s pickup truck collided head-on with a police cruiser driven by Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, of Rutland City.

The Vermont police officer, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown outside the vehicle and declared dead at the scene. Apart from the Vermont police officer, Rheaume’s truck also collided with another police cruiser where two other officers and Rheaume himself were injured.

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Pleaded Not Guilty of Killing Vermont Police Officer

According to an article in AP News, on July 10, Rheaume pleaded not guilty to the charges of attempting to elude police and negligent operation of a motor vehicle both resulting in the death of the Vermont police officer.

Court documents revealed that Rheaume admitted he did not pull over during the pursuit because getting arrested would endanger his chances to join the Marines. Nonetheless. a judge ordered that Rheaume be held on a bail worth $100,000 after agreeing with prosecutors that the suspect evading the Vermont police officer warrants a high amount of bail.

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