Tate Rheaume appears in Rutland County Superior criminal court in April 2024. Rheaume is charged in the crash that killed Rutland City police officer Jessica Ebbighausen in 2023. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger The attorney for the man accused of driving into and killing a Rutland officer d uring a chase wants to question prospective jurors about what they may know and feel about the case before moving forward with a request to move the case to another county. David Sleigh, the lawyer for Tate Rheaume, told Judge Susan McManus during a hearing Monday in Rutland Superior criminal court that extensive media coverage of the case has raised concerns about selecting an impartial jury. Rheaume, 23, of Salisbury, has pleaded not guilty to several offenses, including aggravated murder, in the July 7, 2023 pursuit that led to the death of 19-year-old Jessica Ebbighausen, a Rutland City police trainee. The chase ended on Woodstock Avenue in Rutland when Rheaume drove his pickup nearly head-on into a cruiser driven by Ebbighausen as another officer had been pursuing Rheaume. Sleigh suggested Monday to the judge that prospective jurors be sent an “initial” questionnaire asking two or three questions, such as: Are you aware of this case? Have you formed a judgement about Rheaume’s guilt or innocence? That, Sleigh said, would likely “weed out quite a few potential jurors” and those that remained in the jury pool could then be sent a “more elaborate questionnaire” in the process of selecting a jury and determining whether a fair and impartial jury could be seated. “I think it’s an efficient way to address the enormous amount of publicity this case has generated, and the strong feelings that appear to exist in a large number of people in Rutland County,” Sleigh told the judge.   Rutland County Deputy State’s Attorney Daron Raleigh, the prosecutor, said during the hearing that Monday was the first time she had heard about Sleigh’s proposal and she was not prepared to sign off on it.  McManus, the judge, didn’t issue any decision and scheduled another hearing in the matter in two weeks. “If there’s no agreement between the parties, Attorney Sleigh, regarding your proposal, do you anticipate going forward on the motion to change venue?” the judge asked.  “I don’t know, your honor,” Sleigh replied. “But I’ll certainly have an answer for that the next time we speak.” Sleigh submitted a motion earlier this year to move the trial in the case out of Rutland County, citing, in part, the amount of media attention it has received. The prosecution filed a motion opposing such a move.  No trial date has been set in the case.  The case has been delayed as a separate issue raised by the defense worked its way through the legal system.  Sleigh had sought authority from the judge to introduce during the trial details from a blistering internal affairs report that found officer misconduct by other officers in the pursuit. A Rutland judge denied that request and the Vermont Supreme Court later upheld that ruling in August. Read the story on VTDigger here: Attorney for man charged in a deadly police chase seeks to quiz potential jurors before seeking change of venue. ...read more read less