Sheriff candidate Lake put on administrative leave by Bellows Falls Police

By Michael Donoghue
Vermont News First

Embattled Windsor County Sheriff candidate Joshua Lake has been placed on paid administrative leave by the Bellows Falls Police Department while an independent investigation is undertaken about his exaggeration about possible crimes, officials said.

Bellows Falls Police Chief David Bemis told Vermont News First the move was made after consulting with Municipal Manager Aaron K. Patt. They want to hire an outside investigator to review Lake’s possible misconduct, he said.

Lake was placed on paid leave indefinitely as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Bemis said in a phone interview. The chief also reported that he has alerted the Vermont Police Academy about the Giglio letter that was issued about Lake by two prosecutors earlier this week. The VPA provides certification for police officers in the state and the academy is overseen by the Vermont Criminal Justice Council.

Lake completed the 17-week academy class for his full-time certification in November 2024. He announced in February he was running for Windsor County Sheriff.

He is one of three Democrats seeking the party nomination next Tuesday in the Primary Election. The winner is expected to face the one Republican candidate in the General Election in November.

The Giglio letter was jointly signed by Windham County State’s Attorney Steven Brown Jr. and Assistant Attorney General Domenica Padula, chief of the criminal division following a Vermont State Police investigation. The letter was sent, in part, to the area defense lawyers that have cases in Windham County court.

“The Police Department will investigate matters raised in the letter, evaluate their potential effect on Officer Lake’s duties and responsibilities, and determine what further action, if any, may be appropriate,” Bemis said in a prepared statement and shared with Vermont News First.

At issue are reports from an on-duty Walpole, N.H.,Police officer that said Lake indicated on Dec. 14, 2025 that his wife had pulled a gun on him and their daughter in his truck about a week earlier, officials have said.

His wife, Michayla M. Eisner-Lake, was a probationary deputy sheriff with the Windsor County Sheriff’s Office. She was 19 at the time and still going through field training so she could eventually become a part-time certified officer, records show. Lake, who was 29 at the time, also reportedly said his wife had abused or injured their daughter in some unknown way 2 or 3 months earlier, records show.

The Walpole Police officer, then-Cpl. Joshua Healy, followed the law and reported the incident up through the chain of command and to the Vermont Department for Children and Families, records show.

The prosecutors maintain that Lake told Vermont State Police detectives that he had exaggerated the two incidents. Lake, in a phone interview with Vermont News First on Sunday said the two incidents with his wife never happened. He has since repeated the denial publicly, including to The Chester Telegraph.

Healy, who has since been promoted to sergeant, stands by his reports about Lake’s comments, officials have said.
Giglio letters are issued by prosecutors when they get information that police officers have acted in a way that calls into question their credibility. In Vermont, a Giglio letter is a formal disclosure by a prosecutor indicating that an officer has a documented history of dishonesty, bias, or misconduct that undermines their credibility as a witness, officials have said.

The Windsor County Democratic Committee, in a letter to The Chester Telegraph and on social media, noted Lake’s problems stem initially from the criminal investigation by the Vermont State Police.

Lake has blamed outgoing Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer for his recent problems and claims the attack on him is politically motivated.

The county committee said Palmer had nothing to do with the Giglio letter.

Palmer was unable to begin his administrative review of the case until Vermont State Police wrapped up its case in June. Palmer spent a month investigating and found the claims in the case could not be substantiated.

The issuance of the Giglio letter and the statement by the Windsor County committee followed detailed news coverage on the Lake case by both Vermont News First and the Vermont Standard in Woodstock.

“As of today, it appears that Joshua Lake has decided to remain a candidate in the race,” the committee wrote.
“In a Sheriff candidate forum sponsored by Windsor County Democrats on Wednesday June 24, 2026, in answering a question about Giglio situations, Joshua Lake stated in his own answer that he “100% believes that we should not have law enforcement working the streets with Brady or Giglio letters,” the posting said.

“One can find a link to this recorded forum” on the Windsor County Democrats website

While the Windsor County Democratic Committee said it does not endorse candidates prior to the August primary election, it did urge voters to follow the news stories and learn more about the two other Democratic candidates running for Windsor County Sheriff – Chris Norton of Springfield and Claude Weyant of Windsor.

Brown, the top prosecutor in Windham County, had told Vermont News First his office was still accepting investigations from Lake.

“We are evaluating them on a case-by-case basis,” said Brown, who has been a state prosecutor in Windham County for 19 years.
Walpole, N.H. Police Chief Justin Sanctuary has said he believes his two experienced officers involved in the case.
Healy has more than five years with the department, and Lt. Roger Landry is a 10-year veteran.
“I stand by my officers,” the chief said.

The Vermont News First report on Sunday noted the Lake/Healy conversation last December sparked a flurry of criminal justice activity and brought in the Windsor County Sheriff, the Vermont State Police, the police chiefs in Bellows Falls and Walpole, N.H., the Windham County State’s Attorney and the Vermont Attorney General’s office, among others. Walpole Police also notified the Vermont Department for Children and Families.