State senator from Rutland County arrested on domestic assault charge, denies allegation

This story was updated at 6:27 p.m.

A Vermont state senator from Rutland County is accused of assaulting a woman by striking her in the face during an argument, according to charging documents made public Wednesday.  

Terry Williams, 74, of Poultney, appeared Wednesday in Rutland Superior criminal court for an arraignment on the misdemeanor domestic assault charge. His attorney, Toni Dutil, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. 

Judge Alexander Burke struck Williams’ $500 bail that had been set overnight following his arrest and released him on conditions, including that he stay away from the woman he is charged with assaulting. 

Williams, a Republican, has served as a state senator since 2022 and is facing re-election on Tuesday. Early voting began last month.

“Senator Williams is not guilty of the alleged offense,” Dutil, his attorney, told reporters after the hearing, with Williams standing by her side. 

“It’s important to note that family dynamics can be complicated,” Dutil added, “and despite Sen. Williams’ position, he is not immune to that reality.”

Asked if he had any comment, Williams said he did not, with Dutil stepping in and saying, “That’s the only comment we’re going to make today.” Williams did not respond to a question about whether he would continue his campaign for re-election. 

The incident leading to the criminal charge against Williams stems from a call Vermont State Police received around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday from a woman reporting that Williams had assaulted her the previous night at Williams’ home in Poultney, according to charging documents.

VTDigger does not typically name survivors of domestic violence. 

The woman reported that while the two were arguing Williams hit her in her face, the documents stated. The woman also said that she did not seek medical treatment, but had a scratch on her face from the altercation, the documents added.

Trooper Caden Lockwood wrote in an affidavit in support of the charge that he met with the woman who reported that the argument began after she returned to the home after work and following feeding horses Williams was “set off” by her trying to apologize about a moldy bale of hay, Lockwood wrote.

The two began shouting at each other, trading insults, the affidavit stated.

“Then he said, I should have punched you 40 years ago. I told him to go ahead. That’s when he hit me,” Lockwood reported the woman saying. “I think w/ an open fist because he scratched me w/ his nails. I have scratches down my face. I believe he was drinking.”

According to the affidavit, the woman had a reddish abrasion starting at her left eyelid, and going down her face to her cheek.

After the incident, the woman reported going to a residence where family members lived, texting one of them before leaving that Williams had “hit me,” the affidavit stated.  

That family member then replied by text, “What? He hit you / Yes, come over,” according to the affidavit.

Williams, during a later interview with police, reported that on Monday after the woman came into the house the two began arguing over pallets in the horse barn, the charging documents stated.

Williams said the two said “mean things” about each other before he told her he wanted her to move out, the documents stated. Williams said the woman walked toward him and he put his arms up to stop her from getting close, the filings added. 

“Williams recounted a physical altercation that he said consisted of” the woman “hitting him and both of their arms flailing while pushing at each other,” the charging documents stated, adding that Williams reported injuring a finger during the incident.

Williams also said that he knew the woman had a scratch on her face but he did not believe he caused it because he thought he pushed her on her right side and said the scratch was on her left side, the charging documents stated.

A trooper asked Williams how he knew there was a visible scratch on the woman’s face and Williams responded that a family member had told him, according to the charging documents.

State police later arrested Williams on Tuesday night and bail was set at $500. He was taken to the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland. He was no longer in custody by his arraignment Wednesday a little after 1 p.m., appearing in court in a grey dress shirt and grey pants.

The hearing lasted less than 5 minutes. 

Windsor County State’s Attorney Ward Goodenough, the prosecutor, appeared by video for the hearing. Rutland County State’s Attorney Ian Sullivan said his office recused itself from the case to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.

Goodenough said in an interview after the hearing that ethical rules prevented him from saying more than what was already in the public record.

“We’re going to move forward with the case,” he said, “It will get set for a status or a calendar call in Rutland and there may be updates for the public at those hearings.” 

Goodenough did request during the hearing Wednesday a release condition that prohibited Williams from drinking alcohol. However, Burke, the judge, did not grant it, stating, “There’s no indication from the trooper that Mr. Williams was otherwise impaired.”

If convicted of the domestic assault charge, Williams faces up to 18 months in jail.

Williams along with Republican incumbent Sens. Brian Collamore and David Weeks are running for re-election Tuesday. All three will also appear on the ballot as Democrats having won as write-ins during the primary in August with no Democratic candidates running.

David Wolk, former president of Castleton University, who also served as a Democratic senator from Rutland County from 1988 to 1992, is running as an independent. 

All four are competing for three state Senate seats from Rutland County.

Gov. Phil Scott has endorsed the Republican slate of candidates, including Williams. 

Emma Shouldice, a spokesperson for the governor’s re-election campaign, said in an email Wednesday that Scott was “completely surprised and troubled” after learning the news about Williams. 

“Governor Scott takes domestic violence very seriously and has no tolerance for that type of behavior,” Shouldice stated. “He will assess the situation further after he reviews the facts.”

According to his legislative bio, Williams served last session on the Senate Committee on Education and was vice chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.

Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck, R-Caledonia, in a written statement Wednesday afternoon said that Senate Republicans had reviewed the affidavit filed in court regarding Williams. 

“We also understand that Senator Williams has entered a plea of not guilty,” the statement read. “Domestic violence is a serious crime. Victims of domestic violence need to be respected, and allegations need to be treated seriously. All parties in this case deserve due process.” 

The statement added, “We will have no further comment at this time.”

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