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Former Burlington Cop, Child Abuse Investigator Allegedly Fondled 12-Year-Old Girl

A 20-year veteran of the Burlington Police Department was arraigned Monday in Addison County on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child.

 
For almost two years beginning in 2008, Burlington Police lieutenant Arthur Cyr oversaw the multi-agency police unit charged with investigating child abuse in Chittenden County. 
 
 
In an affidavit released Monday, police alleged Cyr fondled a twelve year old girl during a New Year's Eve party at Cyr's home in Bristol in 2016. Cyr has denied the charge. A call to his attorney, Brooks McArthur, was not immediately returned.
 
 
Cyr was a school resource officer in Bristol at the time of the alleged incident. He is currently listed as an employee with the state Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living. 
 
The alleged victim, now 15, first reported the incident to a school counselor last month, according to the affidavit.
 
If convicted, Cyr will face between two and 15 years in prison, and could be fined up to $5,000. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Emily Corwin reported investigative stories for VPR until August 2020. In 2019, Emily was part of a two-newsroom team which revealed that patterns of inadequate care at Vermont's eldercare facilities had led to indignities, injuries, and deaths. The consequent series, "Worse for Care," won a national Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting, and placed second for a 2019 IRE Award. Her work editing VPR's podcast JOLTED, about an averted school shooting, and reporting NHPR's podcast Supervision, about one man's transition home from prison, made her a finalist for a Livingston Award in 2019 and 2020. Emily was also a regular reporter and producer on Brave Little State, helping the podcast earn a National Edward R. Murrow Award for its work in 2020. When she's not working, she enjoys cross country skiing and biking.
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