Police department faults experienced officers in death of 19-year-old trainee

RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX/Gray News) – The death of a police trainee was the fault of experienced police officers within the Rutland City Police Department in Rutland, Vermont, according to a new report.

An internal investigation conducted by the police department reportedly concluded that the death of 19-year-old Jessica Ebbighausen was preventable.

The report was made public last week in court documents. It was written by a now-retired Rutland City Police commander. It highlights policy failures and shares the opinion that the pursuit that ultimately killed the officer-in-training should never have happened.

Ebbighausen was killed in 2023 during a police chase when suspect Tate Rheaume crashed his truck head-on into her cruiser. She was not wearing a seat belt at the time.

Rheaume faces aggravated murder charges and is currently awaiting trial, according to officials.

Investigators said Ebbighausen was only working her fifth shift as a patrol officer. She was training with multiple supervisors, including Officer Jared Dumas, Cpl. Richard Caravaggio and Sgt. Jon Dickerson.

Investigators said the supervisors’ actions in failing to adhere to department policy directly contributed to Ebbighausen’s death.

Dumas is a more than six-year veteran of the force who has since resigned and now works at the Rutland Town Police Department. Caravaggio is a four-plus-year veteran of the force. Dickerson has been with the department for more than 10 years.

Investigators said the officers violated vehicle and pursuit policies when they took off toward Rheaume and when they failed to make sure everyone had their seat belts on.

The report concluded by saying, “Had everyone done their jobs correctly on this day, this would never have happened. Even if the pursuit was legitimately started, supervisors had a duty and responsibility to stop the pursuit.”

The investigator said the actions of Officer Dumas and Cpl. Carvaggio, or lack thereof, was a direct contributing factor in Ebbighausen’s death.

It is not clear what disciplinary measures, if any, the officers will face.

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