VERGENNES — Vergennes police jailed a Northlands Job Corps student on June 30 for allegedly assaulting a fellow student after the second student won an informal singing competition.
Police said that Djeisson DePina, 20, of Norwich, Conn., was involved in a “battle rapping” competition in which he and another student performed a rap song and a group of other people chose the winner. After the other student was chosen the winner, DePina allegedly punched him to the point where the other student sustained a concussion, police said.
A Vergennes officer cited DePina for assault and lodged him at the Chittenden County Correctional Center.
In other recent activity, Vergennes police:
•  On July 28 dealt with an animal problem on Walker Avenue. Police told the owner of a wayward dog to register the canine with the city clerk.
•  On July 28 helped people locked out of their vehicles get into them in incidents at the Shaw’s parking lot and on Maple Street.
•  On July 28 looked into an unsubstantiated report of illegal fireworks.
•  On July 29 took a report from a Ferrisburgh woman who came into the police department to report that someone had stolen medication from her vehicle while it was parked at a gas station on Route 7.
•  On July 29 called the owner of a vehicle parked in a private parking lot to move the vehicle because it wasn’t authorized to park there.
•  On July 30 fingerprinted a person who was applying for a job that required that.
•  On July 30 performed a Vehicle Identification Number inspection.
•  On July 30 helped the Vergennes Area Rescue Squad with lifting assistance at a Walker Avenue call.
•  On July 30 responded to a false alarm at a city business.
•  On July 31 heard from a Malden Place property owner that someone had illegally dumped trash on his property.
•  On July 31 responded to a minor, two-car crash on Main Street near the Black Sheep Bistro; no one was injured. Police issued a ticket to one driver for not giving the other enough space.
•  On Aug. 1 looked into a report of an animal problem on MacDonough Drive, but the dog owner got there first and took the dog away.
•  On Aug. 1 performed a driving under the influence patrol in the Vergennes area and issued 10 warnings and five tickets. During that patrol, Vergennes police stopped a car on Route 7 and the officer got the driver’s consent to search the vehicle after smelling marijuana. The officer reported finding a pipe with marijuana in it, a lighter and other paraphernalia, and issued a civil ticket for possession of marijuana to a juvenile in the car.
•  On Aug. 1 received a report of a drug transaction in a parking lot behind St. Mary’s Church. The officer could not find anything when he arrived.
•  On Aug. 1 looked into a report of a vehicle spinning its tires on Ice House Court, but the officer could not find the vehicle.
•  On Aug. 2 performed another DUI patrol and stopped 12 cars and issued nine tickets.
•  On Aug. 3 responded to a report that a baby was not breathing at a West Main Street home. When they officer arrived, he found that the baby had been resuscitated and the baby was taken to Fletcher Allen Health Care.
•  On Aug. 3 responded to a report of an older man having difficulty breathing. The police officer administered oxygen until VARS arrived.
•  On Aug. 3 responded to a Lifeline activation; the person was OK.
•  On Aug. 3 investigated a report of a campfire in Falls Park, but found none there.
•  On Aug. 3 came across an uncooperative, intoxicated, 19-year-old woman on MacDonough Drive. Police transported the young woman to the Act 1 detox center in Burlington and issued Court Diversion paperwork to her.
Editor’s note: This story was updated since its original posting to correct an error. Police Chief George Merkel alerted the newspaper on Aug. 12 that he had given the wrong name for a person who was ticketed, and we corrected that error.