Rutland police chief sat on a report faulting officers in a trainee's death, then retired
On July 7, 2023, Rutland City Police trainee Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, was killed when a fleeing pickup struck her cruiser. An internal affairs review by now-retired Commander Sam Delpha concluded her death "WAS preventable," finding Officer Jared Dumas chased the driver in violation of department policy, no officer called off the pursuit, and neither Ebbighausen nor her supervising officer wore seat belts. The undated report surfaced only in fall 2025 through a defense subpoena in the driver's aggravated murder case; the police commission chair said she got it from a reporter, not Chief Brian Kilcullen. On Dec. 22, 2025, State's Attorney Ian Sullivan issued a Brady letter saying Kilcullen "suppressed evidence favorable to the defendant." Kilcullen announced his retirement effective March 1, 2026. Coverage did not report any discipline for the officers named in the report.
In the letter, Sullivan states that Kilcullen “suppressed evidence favorable to the defendant in a criminal case in an attempt to shape the trial.”
“The death of Officer Ebbighausen WAS preventable,” Delpha concluded in the report. “This incident and more specifically the pursuit should have never happened.”
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