VERMONT — Vermont State Police are seeking help from the public in learning more about the crash that killed a Starksboro man in Sherburne on Friday afternoon.
Marland Brewer, 47, of Starksboro was killed in a two-vehicle head-on crash on Route 4 in Sherburne just east of the Killington Skyship gondola and Mission Farm Road on Dec. 14.
Troopers were called to the scene at 4:33 p.m. and told that a driver in one of the vehicles was entrapped. Traffic on the road was closed while police dealt with the accident.
VSP Sgt. Mark Perkins said police determined that Brewer was driving a 1998 Dodge pickup westbound on Route 4 when the vehicle travelled left of the center line into the eastbound lane. The pickup reportedly collided with a 2003 Mitsubishi truck driven by Earl L. Smith, 47, of Loudon, N.H., causing the Mitsubishi to exit the roadway and overturn. Police report the weather and road conditions were clear at the time.
Brewer was pronounced dead at the scene and Smith was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., for a fractured wrist, dislocated hip and concussion.
Police said alcohol appeared to be a factor in the crash. They were also investigating any possible involvement Brewer had in a hit and run crash in the Bristol area earlier that afternoon.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Vermont State Police at Rutland at 802-773-9101. Information can also be submitted anonymously online at www.vtips.info or by texting “CRIMES” (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS.
In other recent activity, VSP:
•  On Dec. 11 were called to investigate the theft of approximately $1,400 of scrap metal and automotive batteries from a private residence off Lincoln Road in Ripton. Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP.
•  On Dec. 11 received a report of a burglary at an Addison home, where several silver plates, a silver ladle and a small amount of jewelry were reported stolen.
•  On Dec. 11 began to investigate a burglary at a Loven Lane home in Ferrisburgh that occurred between the hours of 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. that day. Among the things reported stolen were a large, clear blue glass water jug containing assorted U.S. currency, two pearl-stud earrings set in sterling silver, a pearl dangling earring set, a set of turquoise custom earrings, multiple gold and silver chains and a cream-colored Egyptian cotton pillow case. Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP.
•  On Dec. 12 at approximately 3:17 p.m. responded with members of the Ludlow Rescue Squad and Mt. Holly Fire Department to Route 103 in the town of Mt. Holly for a motor vehicle crash. Troopers said they found that 83-year-old David Van Vleck of Cornwall had fallen asleep while driving northbound on Route 103, then his 2000 Subaru Outback drove off the roadway and into a ditch, where it struck an embankment that vaulted the car over a driveway next to the Brooklyn Pub. Van Vleck’s vehicle landed to the north in another ditch where it came to rest.
Van Vleck was wearing his seatbelt, and despite his vehicle being totaled, he was not injured. Speed, drugs and alcohol appear not to be factors in this crash. Anyone with information is asked to contact the VSP Rutland at 802-773-9101.
•  On Dec. 12 at around 8 p.m. cited Cody Greene, 19, of Bristol for careless and negligent driving on River Road in New Haven. Police allege that Greene was driving at 27 mph over the posted speed limit as well as driving on the wrong side of the road.
•  On Dec. 12 at approximately 8:48 p.m. cited Roger A. Parker, 44, of New Haven for driving under the influence of alcohol on Route 17 in New Haven.
•  On Dec. 12 at a little before 10 p.m. responded to Lemon Fair Road in Weybridge for a report of a “rolling” family fight. According to the complainant, 23-year-old Joseph Lilly grabbed her by the neck and attempted to pull her out of her car, but she kept driving her vehicle headed to a residence in Weybridge. Troopers arrested Lilly in Hancock, cited him for domestic assault and lodged him at the Chittenden County Correctional Center in lieu of $1,000 bail.
•  On Dec. 13 at around 2:30 p.m. responded to a two-car accident at the intersection of States Prison Hollow Road and Tyler Bridge Road in Starksboro. Police said there were no injuries and both vehicles were removed from the scene without issue.
•  On Dec. 14 reported that they were investigating a burglary at a Cornwall home that had occurred on Nov. 1
•  On Dec. 14 cited Robert Dinapoli, 54, of Bristol for driving with a criminally suspended license on Church Road in Monkton.
•  On Dec. 14 at 10:45 p.m. responded to the report of an underage drinking party on Ireland Road in Starksboro. While en route to the incident, the trooper conducted a motor vehicle stop on Ireland Road for defective equipment. That led the trooper to cite a 17-year-old from Duxbury who was a passenger in the vehicle for furnishing alcohol to minors.
•  On Dec. 16 at 1:38 p.m. responded to a one-car accident on Big Hollow Road in Starksboro, where a car with summer tires slid off the snow-covered road and struck a tree. Police said the driver, who sustained minor injuries, was going too fast for the road conditions. The Bristol Rescue Squad transported the driver to Porter with minor injuries.
•  On Dec. 16 at 3:40 p.m. responded to another one-car accident. In this one, the driver slid off the snow-covered Monkton Road in Ferrisburgh and into small trees. It caused substantial damage to the 2004 Toyota sedan, but the driver was not injured.
•  On Dec. 16 said they were investigating a burglary into a River Road home in Bristol sometime within the past two weeks. Entry into the residence was forced. Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP.
•  On Dec. 17 at 8 a.m. responded to a one-vehicle crash on Munger Street in New Haven. A 2007 Toyota Tacoma went off the snow-covered road in the midst of periodic sleet and struck a utility pole, causing moderate to severe damage to the pickup. The driver allegedly told police that he needed to make an appointment to purchase new tires. Police issued him a ticket for failure to drive to the right.