Supreme Court Blocks Key Defense Evidence | Montpelier News

Montpelier News Today | 2 Min New | The Daily News Now! · Aug 19, 2026 · 1m

The Tate Rheaume case just took a major turn as the Vermont Supreme Court unanimously blocked the defense from using a damning internal police report that blamed other officers for the fatal crash that killed 19-year-old Officer Jessica Ebbighausen. The report, penned by Rutland Police Commander Sam Delpha, suggested the officer’s death was preventable — a key piece the defense hoped would show the pursuing officers violated protocol. With this ruling, Rheaume’s legal team now faces a much tighter path to defend him on charges including aggravated murder. No trial date is set, but an October…