ADDISON COUNTY — This past Saturday, Vermont State Police cited two Addison County residents for driving under the influence in separate incidents.
First, state police stopped Thomas Utter, 25, of Bristol for allegedly speeding on Route 116 in Starksboro. During the stop, police said Utter showed signs of intoxication. He was processed for DUI at the New Haven state police barracks and is due to answer the charge in Addison Superior Court, Criminal Division, on May 19.
That same day at approximately 4:15 p.m., state police received a report of a vehicle that went off the side of the road on Route 30 in Sudbury. Troopers found the vehicle and its driver, identified as 48-year-old Jennifer Bruyneel of Orwell. Police said they noticed that Bruyneel was intoxicated by her movements and the smell of intoxicants. They cited her for DUI and she is scheduled to appear in Rutland Superior Court, Criminal Division, on May 19.
In other recent activity, state police:
•  Twice last week took reports of break-ins to vehicles parked at recreation spots. First, on May 7 a Barton resident told police that her car was parked at the Silver Lake access in Leicester that day between 3 and 6 p.m. when someone used a rock to break a window to gain access to the items inside the vehicle.
Separately, a Lincoln man reported vandalism to his car while it was parked at the Fish and Game Access on Mountain Road Extension in Addison on May 8 between 5 and 7 p.m. The man said someone smashed out two windows from his vehicle and also broke one of the side view mirrors, then rummaged through the vehicle but nothing was taken.
Vermont State Police encourage hikers to not leave valuables in their vehicles while parked at remote accesses. Anyone with information on either of these incidents is asked to contact state police at 802-388-4919. Information can also be submitted anonymously online at www.vtips.info or by texting “CRIMES” (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS.
•  On May 8 at 9:23 p.m. stopped a motor vehicle driven by Amie L. Bates, 40, of St. Albans on Main Street in Vergennes for a traffic infraction and ended up citing her for driving with a criminally suspended license.
•  On May 9 at 4:20 p.m. stopped a car driven by Kyle Stevens, 37, of Burlington on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh for an expired registration. The trooper said his investigation showed that Stevens was in possession of marijuana and a loaded handgun. Police arrested Stevens for suspicion of driving under the influence and he was screened for DUI-drug/marijuana by a drug recognition expert. The accused was transported to the New Haven state police barracks for processing. Police seized the handgun and stored it at the New Haven barracks.
•  On May 10 at 5:55 a.m. responded to a motor vehicle crash on Route 22A in Panton. The driver, identified as 27-year-old Todd Bessette of Ticonderoga, N.Y., told police that the vehicle hydroplaned on the wet roadway, causing him to lose control of the 2005 Toyota Scion he was driving, and it left the road and rolled over. Police noted that it had been raining hard prior to the crash, and they said vehicle equipment may have contributed to the crash. No charges were pending.
•  On May 10 at 11:55 p.m. attempted stop a car for a traffic infraction on Panton Road in Panton. The trooper said the vehicle continued traveling at a high rate of speed in an attempt to elude police, but it eventually pulled over and the driver was identified as Daniel C. Hawkins, 19, of Ferrisburgh. Police took Hawkins to the Vergennes Police Department for processing and cited him for speeding, grossly negligent driving and attempting to elude a police officer.