Two investigations by three different state agencies were made into the safety of the Orleans County Courthouse

Two investigations by three different state agencies were made into the safety of the Orleans County Courthouse after a state employee got caught inside the building with a gun. But even with new information released by the Judiciary on Tuesday, the full story about why the courthouse was closed for so long remains a mystery.  St. Johnsbury Defense Attorney David Sleigh recently submitted public records requests to the courthouse managers and they responded with a timeline of events. But the Judiciary did not provide further details about why they believed there would be “potential for violence” at the courthouse in Newport. And at the end of the investigation, the male state employee was not charged with a crime or subject to civil action. The Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS), the Vermont State Police and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office (AGO) all looked into the incident which began in November despite an official statement that the employee with the gun did not threaten anyone. “The Judiciary was advised that the individual did not make any threats of harm to other persons or entities,” wrote the Judiciary in its response to Attorney Sleigh’s public records request But the court system enacted major security precautions anyway. The Newport courthouse includes Orleans Superior Court, Newport Probation & Parole and the Orleans County State’s Attorney’s Office. The Judiciary says the male subject was a “non-judicial employee.”