BRISTOL — At around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2, Bristol police responded to a child custody dispute at a South Street residence. A man had barricaded himself inside the residence with an infant child, Police Chief Kevin Gibbs said. The subject was allegedly refusing to return the child to the child’s mother.
The first officer on scene was informed that the man (whose name was not released, as court action is still pending) had taken drugs with a group of other people before the officer had arrived.
Gibbs described the subject’s behavior as “agitated.”
The man refused to allow the police into the residence to retrieve the child. “Negotiations failed,” Gibbs said, reporting that the man stood in front of his door and blocked police from entering the house.
Police forced entry through a large glass pane on the door. Three officers, as well as the man, sustained minor injuries from the shattered glass. Police took the man into custody and took him to Porter Hospital for treatment of his injuries and to undergo a psychiatric examination.
The infant was safely returned to its mother, according to police. Court action is pending.
About an hour after police cleared the scene, a neighbor called to report a group entering the residence through the broken windowpane. Police found three males inside the residence, seemingly collecting their belongings, Gibbs said. Police found that one of the men, Joshua Simon, 26, of Bristol, had an outstanding warrant for burglary in Chittenden County. Police found what they suspect was heroin paraphernalia on Simon and lodged him at Chittenden County Correctional facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
In other recent activity, Bristol police:
•  On Sept. 25 took a golden retriever without identification to the pound. Later in the day, the owner called police to report it missing. The dog was returned to its owner.
•  On Sept. 26 received a report of a gas drive-off from the Maplefields station on West Street. About $40 worth of fuel went unpaid. A suspect has been identified.
•  On Sept. 26 held up traffic on Main Street while the senior class of Mount Abraham Union High School took its class picture.
•  On Sept. 27 assisted a St. Albans woman who had planned to meet her mother on the town green. The woman was having car trouble and would be an hour delayed. Police located her mom and passed along the message.
•  On Sept. 27 received a report of a man shooting at a domestic cat with a BB gun. A resident on Pleasant Street admitted that he had been shooting at the cat, which he claimed had urinated “all over” his property. According to the police report, the resident had shot at the cat to scare it off of his property and had not intended to hurt it. He was warned about cruelty to animals and advised to contact the Addison County Humane Society for alternative ideas on how to deal with the situation.
•  On Sept. 28 responded to a complaint from a Mountain Street resident who was concerned that he might have been scammed. A child had come to his door around 5:30 p.m. claiming to be selling jewelry for a school fundraiser. The resident didn’t want to buy jewelry, but offered the child $10. Since he didn’t have change, he gave the youth a $20 bill. The youth was supposed to return with the change and never did.
Police contacted the school and determined the fundraiser was legitimate. As of Tuesday, the resident had not received his change. The school is looking into the matter.
•  On Sept. 29 checked the welfare of a female Pine Street resident. The complaint was that the subject was being abused by a domestic partner. When police followed up, the subject denied being abused.
•  On Sept. 29 participated in an event for what Gibbs described as the “Drug Drop” program. The public was encouraged to drop off any expired medication at the police station throughout the year.
•  On Oct. 1 investigated a report of an assault on a teenage female by her mother. The investigation revealed that the two struggled on Saturday after an argument. The struggle was broken up by a family member. No charges will be filed at this time.
•  On the evening of Oct. 1 assisted a Vermont State Police trooper who was pursuing a suspect in the Vergennes area. The vehicle got away somewhere around Church Road in Monkton.