BURLINGTON, Vt. — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont recognized Vermont State Police Detective Trooper Jesse Dambrackas with the office’s inaugural Hometown Hero Award, citing years of task-force work with federal, state and local partners.

According to the official May 22 release, the award is sponsored by the Justice Department in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The release said the award was presented May 19, 2026, at the Vermont State Police Rutland barracks.

Recognized for task-force partnership

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Dambrackas has served with the Vermont Drug Task Force in southwest Vermont since 2019. During that time, the office said, he assisted federal prosecutors in securing convictions for more than 65 defendants in federal court.

The release described many of those defendants as armed, and said many had used violence in Rutland, Addison and Bennington counties as part of drug-trafficking activity. ThinBlueNews is not adding additional case allegations beyond what the U.S. Attorney’s Office publicly stated.

Service beyond one assignment

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Dambrackas is known among federal, state and local law-enforcement partners as an effective investigative partner who focuses on violent and armed drug traffickers harming Vermont communities.

The same release said Dambrackas also serves on the Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team, assisting with recovery of people and evidentiary items from bodies of water across Vermont.

At the Rutland ceremony, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt presented the award to Dambrackas, according to the release. Representatives from the Vermont State Police, FBI, DEA and HSI were present to thank him for his support and partnership on federal investigations and prosecutions.

For supporters of law enforcement, the story is a reminder that many public-safety victories happen quietly: long investigations, multi-agency coordination, evidence recovery and steady work that rarely becomes a viral headline.

Sources and attribution

  • U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont: award details, date, ceremony location, task-force background, conviction-count statement, and official source photo.
  • The featured image uses an official DOJ / U.S. Attorney’s Office source photo with a ThinBlueNews headline overlay. No incident scene is implied.