Former Shelburne Police Sergeant Kyle Kapitanski pleaded guilty to negligent operation of a vehicle with death resulting after his police cruiser struck and killed 38-year-old cyclist Sean P. Hayes in South Burlington, Vermont.
The fatal crash happened at about 2:45 a.m. on November 11, 2024, on U.S. Route 7, also known as Shelburne Road, near Fayette Drive. According to a Vermont State Police release republished by Vermont Business Magazine, Kapitanski was driving a 2021 Ford Explorer police SUV for the Shelburne Police Department when the cruiser struck Hayes, who was traveling southbound with a bicycle and trailer. State police said it was raining, dark, and the road was wet at the time of the crash.
Hayes, a Burlington resident, died at the scene. Kapitanski was not injured.
Investigators later alleged that Kapitanski was driving faster than the posted speed limit and had YouTube videos playing on a mounted police tablet in the cruiser before the crash. VTDigger reported that Vermont State Police investigators alleged Kapitanski was driving about 40 to 45 mph in a 35 mph zone near Fayette Drive. The affidavit also stated that “several” YouTube web addresses were accessed on the cruiser’s tablet between 2:29 a.m. and 2:40 a.m., shortly before the crash.
NBC5 reported that court documents said Kapitanski’s department-issued tablet was being used to play YouTube videos in the minutes before the fatal collision, and that footage from his body-worn camera showed him changing the screen from YouTube back to Valcour, a computer-aided dispatch screen, after the crash. Kapitanski’s attorney disputed the claim that prosecutors could prove the video distracted him while driving.
Kapitanski was initially charged with grossly negligent operation with death resulting, a felony that could have carried prison time. But in September 2025, he pleaded guilty in Chittenden County Superior criminal court to a reduced misdemeanor charge of negligent operation with death resulting. According to Vermont Public, Judge Timothy Doherty sentenced Kapitanski to six to 12 months, all suspended, meaning he would avoid jail unless he violated probation. Kapitanski was also ordered to serve two years of probation and complete a restorative justice program.
During the plea hearing, Deputy State’s Attorney Matthew Dolezal said the restorative justice process would require Kapitanski to acknowledge how his negligent driving caused Hayes’ death and damaged public trust in law enforcement.
Hayes’ family described the devastating impact of his death in court. His mother, Donna Hayes, said through a victim advocate that the emotional toll of losing her son was immeasurable and that the family had been shattered by his death.
Kapitanski had been placed on paid administrative leave after the crash. In October 2025, WCAX reported that Shelburne Town Manager Matt Lawless said the town select board fired Kapitanski during a closed session.
The case leaves behind a familiar and ugly question: how often do police officers demand accountability from the public for distracted or careless driving, only to receive far more lenient treatment when their own conduct causes irreversible harm? In this case, a man was killed, a family was left grieving, and the officer who admitted to negligent operation avoided jail.
