ADDISON COUNTY — Vermont State Police responded to Hillside Drive in Starksboro at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, for a domestic violence call. Police said their investigation on scene showed that Shane Manning, 25, of Starksboro assaulted a family member and also threatened that person and another person with a knife.
Police charged Manning with aggravated domestic assault, aggravated assault, and violation of conditions of release, and lodged him at the Marble Valley Correctional Center for lack of $50,000 bail.
In other recent activity, troopers:
•  On May 14 at 6:30 p.m. began investigating the burglary of a home on Briggs Hill Road in Bristol that had occurred between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. that day. Items taken from the residence include jewelry and loose change. Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP at 802-388-4919. Information can also be submitted online at www.vtips.info or by texting “CRIMES” (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS.
•  On May 16 at 8:46 a.m. were told about the theft of two orange and black Dolmar chainsaws from an unsecured garage in New Haven. The approximate value of the chainsaws is $950. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Leise at 802-388-4919 or submit a tip electronically.
•  On May 16 at 9 a.m. were notified by the New Haven road foreman that four adult-sized bicycles were found in a ditch on the east end of Sergeant Cross Road where it meets River Road in New Haven. The bikes have been put into safekeeping at the New Haven VSP Barracks until the owners are identified. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Armstrong at 802-388-4919.
•  On May 17 at approximately 11:30 a.m. responded to a one-vehicle roll-over on Nortontown Road in Addison. Police said investigation suggests that driver Jason Sampson, 19, of Addison was test driving a 1994 Honda Accord, crossed the center line, left the roadway and flipped several times into the adjacent field. Sampson, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was transported to Porter Hospital, where he received multiple stitches for a laceration to his forehead. The car was totaled.
•  On May 17 at 4:01 p.m. stopped a car on Route 7 at Post Road in Rutland for a traffic violation. During the stop police found that a passenger in the vehicle, 43-year-old Paul E. Legault of Brandon, was in violation of a New Hampshire abuse prevention order issued last October. The order prevented him from being in contact with a 41-year-old female, who was driving the vehicle. Legault was arrested and processed at the Rutland VSP barracks. He was later placed at the Marble Valley Correctional Center in Rutland for lack of $5,000 bail.
•  On May 17 at 4:40 p.m. responded to a three-car crash near the intersection of Routes 30 and 73 in Sudbury. Police report that Scott Bertrand, 48, of Brandon was eastbound on Vail Road when he approached Route 30 and failed to yield to oncoming traffic. When he entered Route 30, Bertrand’s 2003 Dodge pickup collided with a 2002 Jeep Liberty being driven northbound on Route 30 by Katelyn Genova, 18, of Orwell. The collision forced the Jeep into a 2009 Ford Flex (driven by Melanie Parker of Brandon) that was stopped at the Route 30/73 intersection. The pickup and the Jeep were towed from the scene and Bertrand and Genova were transported to Porter Hospital for minor injuries.
•  On May 17 at 7:30 p.m. cited David S. Redmond, 19, of Easton, Conn., for speeding on Route 22A in Bridport.
•  On May 17 at 9:41 p.m. stopped a motor vehicle driven by Luke Nadeau, 18, of Middlebury on Route 30 in Whiting for speeding; police said they clocked him at 88 mph in a 50 mph zone. Police cited Nadeau for speeding and for possession of marijuana.
•  On May 18 at 6:36 p.m. responded to a one-car crash on Lincoln Gap Road in Warren. Upon investigation, police arrested Douglas A. Werner, 65, of Ripton for suspicion of driving under the influence.
•  On May 19 were called to investigate an incident in which someone had thrown a rock through the Wag on Inn pet care business on Route 7 in Waltham between 2 p.m. on May 18 and 1 p.m. on May 19. Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP.
•  On May 19 at 12:25 p.m. were called to investigate the burglary of a residence on Route 74 in Shoreham sometime that day or the previous day. Unknown individuals broke into the home and cut the copper plumbing out of the basement. Anyone with information is asked to call VSP.
•  On May 19 were called to investigate the burglary of a Lake Dunmore Road home in Leicester and the theft of two different types of prescription pills. Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP.
•  On May 20 at 8:25 a.m. cited Tara Tower, 35, of Monkton for driving with a criminally suspended license on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh.
•  On May 20 were notified by the owner of a home on Route 22A in Orwell that someone had entered the residence and took various items. Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP.
•  On May 21 at just past midnight stopped a motor vehicle driven by Justin Cousino, 18, of Middlebury on Route 7 in New Haven for erratic driving. The same erratic operation was reported to a police dispatcher by a motorist following Cousino. The trooper cited Cousino for possession of a regulated substance.
Law enforcement agencies throughout the state on May 20 began participating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Click It or Ticket campaign, which will continue through June 2. State, local and county law enforcement officers will conduct high visibility enforcement in high-crash locations. Enforcement efforts will be supported by federal funds received from NHTSA and provided to agencies by the state’s Governor’s Highway Safety Program.
Sadly, last year, 77 lives were lost on Vermont roadways in fatal crashes. Of those tragic deaths nearly half of the occupants were not properly restrained. Police said many of those tragedies might have been avoided simply by buckling up.
The upcoming Highway Visibility Enforcement campaign is designed to remind drivers and their passengers that they are required, by law, to wear their seatbelts. Research, conducted by NHTSA, indicates wearing a seatbelt is the single most significant safety measure a person traveling in a motor vehicle can take.
Brandon Police Chief Chris Brickell, president of the Vermont Association of Chiefs of Police, advises, “In Vermont law enforcement officers struggle to enforce safety on our highways, to protect our citizens from impaired drivers, distracted drivers, and speed-related crashes. The easiest way for all of us to protect more people on the road is to encourage people to use their seatbelts. If each of us told one person we care about to wear their seatbelt, there’s no telling how many lives would be saved.”