The Hon. Stephen P. Benard is an assistant judge for the Rutland County Superior Court in Vermont. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Phil Scott in 2020, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Hon. David Lewis.
Prior to his appointment, Benard was the Sheriff of the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department, a position to which he was named in 2004. Before that, he spent time as a deputy sheriff in Rutland County as well as a patrol officer, a sergeant, and an acting chief of the police for the Ludlow Police Department.
Benard earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Saint Joseph. He also studied law enforcement administration at the FBI National Academy and the history of sheriffs, politics, and media relations at the National Sheriffs Institute.
His memberships have included the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council. He has also been involved with the Wallingford Memorial Rotary Club and the Rutland City Rotary Club.
A resident of Clarendon, Vermont, Benard is a fifth-generation Vermonter.