Vermont State Police have cited a woman who allegedly drove toward law enforcement and protesters who were standing along South Burlington’s Dorset Street during the March 11 ICE raid. Connie Anania, 53, of South Burlington, is accused of simple assault, disorderly conduct and grossly negligen t operation. Around 7 p.m. on the night in question, she allegedly drove on a closed section of Dorset Street, “at one point steering toward police and protesters in the median and placing state troopers in fear of being struck by the car,” Vermont State Police said in a press release on Thursday. “Investigators also determined Anania was among demonstrators who impeded a law enforcement vehicle from attempting to leave the area of the protest.” A body camera worn by South Burlington Deputy Police Chief Sean Briscoe captured the incident on video. As darkness fell on March 11, a dark Chevy, allegedly driven by Anania, suddenly accelerated toward two state police troopers standing in the road and a crowd on the median. Someone yelled out “Whoaaaa” as the vehicle stopped short. “Come on, don’t do that, don’t do that,” someone said. “You walked in front of my car!” the driver yelled out of the open window as she continued by. “Ma’am, that was uncalled for,” Briscoe said. He repeated the license plate number to himself, then relayed it to a trooper who responded, “Niceeee.” Briscoe chuckled, seemingly in disbelief. “Our bodycams were on for that whole thing if you need them,” one trooper said to Briscoe. “A little egregious.” “It was egregious,” Briscoe responded. Anania is due in court on July 9. Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George said her office has yet to receive the case from state police and only learned of the citation from Thursday’s press release. Thus far, George has not charged any of the people cited for their actions during the daylong incident on March 11. Three people detained by the Burlington Police Department had their cases sent to the Community Justice Center for a restorative process, while George declined to prosecute three citations from Vermont State Police. The decisions were blasted last month by Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison and Vermont State Police Col. Matthew Birmingham, who said George had set a “dangerous precedent.” “The state’s attorney’s failure to bring charges in this matter is likely to embolden people at similar events in the future to cross the line into criminal behavior, placing the public and law enforcement at greater risk of harm,” Morrison and Birmingham wrote in a statement. Both Vermont State Police and the South Burlington Police Department, meanwhile, have issued after-action reports that absolve their officers any wrongdoing during that chaotic day. Burlington, which also had a contingent of officers at the protest, is expected to release its own report sometime soon. The post Woman Cited for Driving Toward Police and Protesters During ICE Raid appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less