Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. SHAFTSBURY â A longtime State Police trooper assigned to southwestern Vermont is on paid leave while the department investigates a report of possible excessive force on a combative intoxicated driver that was in handcuffs last month, authorities and records indicate. Trooper Robert Zink, who has spent most of his 13-year career assigned to Bennington or Rutland counties, was placed on paid leave Feb. 24, state police said. The paid leave came one day after Zink was part of an investigation into a Shaftsbury crash involving a hostile driver who battled with three troopers, records show.