The Vermont attorney general and the Department of Public Safety are settling a lawsuit involving a 2014 traffic stop by a former Vermont state trooper.
The lawsuit says then-Trooper Lewis Hatch pulled over a black motorist in Wallingford because snow obscured his vehicle's registration sticker, which wasn't illegal at the time. He then searched and seized the car after detecting a faint odor of marijuana.
The Vermont Supreme Court ruled in January that the trooper's actions were improper.
The state says a settlement was reached on Thursday after a lengthy mediation session.
It says under the terms, Gregory Zullo will get $50,000 plus mediation costs while acknowledging the Vermont State Police's longstanding commitment to fair and impartial policing.
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