WEYBRIDGE — A local teen on Monday pleaded innocent in Addison County Superior Court, criminal division, to three misdemeanor counts of simple assault on a police officer, stemming from an Aug. 23 incident in Weybridge.
Sabrina R. Landon, 18, of Weybridge is also accused of resisting arrest and being a minor in possession of a malt beverage (criminal count).
It was at around 7 p.m. on Aug. 23 that Vermont State Police Trooper Brett Flansburg was asked to respond to a possible assault in the LaFountain Lane area of Weybridge. While en route, Flansburg was asked to stop his vehicle on Cave Road to investigate a report of a woman hiding behind some trees, according to court records.
Once he pulled his cruiser over, Flansburg reported seeing the woman — later identified as Sabrina Landon — run deeper into the woods. Flansburg and fellow VSP Trooper Timothy Hanley attempted to find Landon, and she was discovered lying in the wood line, according to court records.
Landon initially declined to exit the woods, but ultimately did and was perceived by the troopers as being under the influence of alcohol, according to Flansburg’s affidavit.
“Landon was slurring her speech and lost her balance several times while attempting to stand in one location,” Flansburg reported. “Trooper Hanley asked Landon if she had consumed alcohol; Landon admitted to consuming alcohol.”
A subsequent breath test measured Landon’s blood-alcohol content at 0.168 percent, according to court records. As a matter of comparison, the legal BAC for driving is 0.08 percent.
Authorities questioned her about having allegedly been walking that evening with another woman suspected in the original assault complaint, according to Flansburg’s affidavit. Landon told Flansburg that she had been alone and swore at the officers, according to court records.
Flansburg, Hanley and Addison County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Oscar Gardner at this point decided to take Landon into protective custody, because she insisted she would not go home and intended to sleep outside, according to court records. She then attempted to run away from the officers, who ultimately contained her after a short struggle and placed her in handcuffs, according to court records.
“Deputy Gardner and I were placing Landon in the back of the cruiser as she kicked Trooper Hanley in the chest … and left a footprint on (his) uniform,” Flansburg wrote in his affidavit. Landon also allegedly tried to bite Gardner’s leg while being placed into protective custody, according to police.
After having been placed in the cruiser, Landon allegedly “began to slam her head off the metal bars on the windows of the cruiser” and was able to unfasten her safety belt, according to court records.
“I attempted to reach across Landon and place her seat belt back on her,” Flansburg wrote. “Landon leaned forward and bit my left arm.”
Once processed at the New Haven state police barracks, Landon was taken to Burlington for detox services, according to court records.
A conviction on misdemeanor simple assault on a police officer carries a penalty of up to two years in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. Landon’s rap sheet shows that she has in the past faced charges of simple assault, domestic assault, unlawful mischief, disorderly conduct and possession of stolen property.