August 2022 Records Request Multi-Agency Response to Stamford, VT Property (Office of the Attorney General - Vermont)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Vermont Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

Records from the Vermont State Police and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office concerning the investigation and resolution involving an Ezra M. Miller’s property in Stamford, Vermont in August 2022, as chronicled in the Rolling Stone article titled 'The Ezra Miller Saga Now Involves Vermont’s Child Services Department' (published August 10, 2022, available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20241215093133/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/ezra-miller-vermont-child-services-department-1392572/).
The article details attempts by Vermont State Police to serve an emergency care order on August 6, 7, and 9, 2022, at Miller’s 96-acre farm, intended to remove a 25-year-old mother and her three children amid supposed welfare concerns, with oversight by the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) and potential involvement of the Vermont Attorney General’s Office in legal proceedings.
Most notably, the article includes information or statements attributed to the Attorney’s Office suggesting the property owner was attempting to "evade" or "shield" someone.

Specifically, I seek the following from August 1, 2022, through December 31, 2023:

- Vermont State Police incident reports, affidavits, dispatch logs, recordings or transcripts of any 911 calls received or made, and bodycam footage related to attempts to serve the emergency care order at Miller’s Stamford property on August 6, 7, and 9, 2022, or in connection with the welfare of the mother and her three children that prompted police responses on those dates; plus any police records documenting subsequent actions or follow-up related to aforementioned alleged child welfare concerns at the property after August 9, 2022.

- Vermont Attorney General’s Office correspondence (e.g., emails, memos, letters, documents, etc) with Vermont State Police or DCF regarding the emergency care order, its execution, or its resolution; legal opinions or memoranda concerning its enforcement; and any court filings, hearing records, or notices related to the emergency care order or to additional later hearings (referenced in the Rolling Stone article) scheduled on or after August 10, 2022.

- Any relevant correspondence between Vermont State Police and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office concerning the welfare of the mother and her three children or the execution of the emergency care order. if any responsive records are held by DCF or even out-of-state agencies, I request coordination with that agency or referral of my request to ensure relevant obtainable documents are obtained.

I request that any exempt personal information (e.g., names of minors or private individuals) be redacted rather than withholding documents entirely, consistent with the Vermont Public Records Act’s presumption of disclosure (1 V.S.A. § 315 et seq.).
I am not affiliated with any news agencies & this request is not being made for commercial purposes. This inquiry serves the public interest by shedding light on the resolution of a widely publicized matter (yet for some reason never followed up on by news organizations) involving child welfare and inter-agency action, fostering transparency in governmental proceedings, and discouraging vigilante justice from members of the public who, due to rampant disinformation by omission, might be inclined to take matters into their own hands against a perceived child abductor.

If there are any issues with the scope or specificity of this request, please contact me to discuss it before denying or delaying the response.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

PJ