PO Jessica Ebbighausen

Officer: Rutland Police Department, Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen

Date: 7/7/2023            Location: Rutland, VT           FACTORS (1,2,3,4,5,8,11,18,19)

Perpetrator(s) Involved: Tate Rheaume

Criminal Activity History/Involved: None. / Yes, Rheaume had just committed a burglary and was fleeing from police to avoid arrest.

Mental Illness: Yes, “Rheaume suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and was known to not take his medication as prescribed.”

Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown. / Yes, the investigator believes “Rheaume was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.”

Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/20

What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At around 2:35 p.m. on July 7, 2023, Rutland Police responded to a 911 call of a burglary in progress related to a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival at the house being broken into, PO Dumas observed the suspect, Tate Rheaume.

Actions taken by subject toward police: To escape arrest, Rheaume drove away from the scene and was pursued by PO Dumas. When other officers joined the pursuit coming from the opposite direction, Rheaume drove his vehicle over the center line and crashed head-on into the patrol vehicle operated by PO Jessical Ebbighausen and then the patrol vehicle operated by PO Parker.

Reactions by the police: While PO Ebbighausen was tragically pronounced dead at the scene, the other officers injured in the crashes were transported and treated at a nearby hospital, as was Rheaume who was taken into custody.

How murdered? Officer Ebbighausen was intentionally crashed into head on by a burglary suspect fleeing police in a high-speed chase.

What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? Perhaps the officer might have survived the crash if her seatbelt was on.

Would the officer have been justified in using deadly force before being murdered? NA, the officer never had a chance to use deadly force.

Outcome for the cop-killer: Rheaume was captured at the scene of the crash and faces charges of “grossly negligent operation and attempting to elude, both with death resulting.”

Miscellaneous: Only 19-years-old, Jessica Ebbighausen was “a part-time officer in field training in preparation for attending the Vermont Police Academy to become a full-time officer the following month.”