Judge Dismisses 1 Drug Charge Against Zaccaro

RUTLAND, Vt. —  A judge has thrown out a cocaine possession charge against John A. Zaccaro Jr. because police failed to obtain a warrant before seizing eight grams of the drug from his car, prosecutors said Wednesday.

But Rutland District Court Judge Francis McCaffrey let stand a second charge that Zaccaro, son of 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine A. Ferarro, sold the drug to an undercover police officer.

The remaining charge carries a maximum five-year jail term and a $10,000 fine. An April 4 trial date has been set.

Unhappy With Decision

“I think I still have a good case on the sale,” Addison County State’s Atty. John Quinn said. “But I’m not happy with the judge’s decision.”

Zaccaro, 24, was arrested in 1986 after plainclothes police officer Laura Manning allegedly bought $25 worth of cocaine from him during a visit to his off-campus apartment while he was a senior at Middlebury College.

Police later returned with a warrant and searched the dwelling. The cocaine reportedly was found in Zaccaro’s car.

In a previous ruling, McCaffrey said the 16 packets of cocaine removed from the car could not be presented as evidence because the search warrant only covered the apartment. He then decided that the earlier ruling damaged the state’s case, leading to his decision to dismiss the possession charge.