BRISTOL — Bristol police had a busy December, responding to more than 75 complaints. Three of those reports involved alleged domestic violence.
On Dec. 22 police began investigating a report that a Bristol man, who had a prior conviction for domestic assault and for violation of an abuse prevention order, had hit his girlfriend in the head during an argument. On Dec. 24 police arrested the man, identified as 27-year-old Timothy Sousa, and charged him with second-degree aggravated domestic assault. Sousa was lodged at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility for lack of $1,000 bail.
Earlier in the month, on Dec. 4, police responded to the Kountry Trailer Park for a reported domestic assault. The complainant told police they had been hit in the face by a former partner. Police took down conflicting statements from other people, and forwarded the case to the Addison County State’s Attorney.
And on Dec. 27 police began investigating an alleged domestic assault that occurred Christmas Day.
Also in December, Bristol police patrolled several Bristol roads as part of the department’s contract with the town, including: Route 116, Monkton Road, Hardscrabble Road, Burpee Road, Rockydale Road and Hewitt Road. In 15 patrols, police wrote 14 tickets, issued 13 warnings and made two arrests.
Police on seven occasions provided contracted security for basketball games at Mount Abraham Union High School, all without incident.
In other action in December, Bristol police:
•  On Dec. 1 at 11:30 a.m. delivered a notice to the parents of a Mount Abe student who had missed 14 days of school so far this year.
•  On Dec. 2 at 9:18 a.m. responded to a report from a Mountain Street resident that a neighbor had entered her home and become disruptive. The visitor refused to leave and was forced out by the resident, police said. The resident requested a no trespass order against the individual.
•  On Dec. 3 at 1:30 p.m. took a report from a town resident that her son was beaten up by two other students on the playground, and that the school had not taken action. Police said the kids were too young to be taken to court, and reported that the school was handling the situation.
•  On Dec. 4 at 11 a.m. helped a state trooper obtain evidence for an ongoing investigation.
•  On Dec. 5 just after 11 a.m. responded to Bristol Elementary School for a safety concern involving a first-grader, but encountered no problems.
•  On Dec. 5 at 6:20 p.m. provided a police transport for Santa Claus from the North Pole (we assume) to the Town Park for a candy cane hunt.
•  On Dec. 5 just before 7 p.m. responded to Mount Abe for a reported teenager with a head injury, and provided first aid until Bristol Rescue arrived.
•  On Dec. 6 served papers to a West Street resident on behalf of the Rockland (Maine) Police Department, for writing bad checks in that state.
•  On Dec. 6 just after midnight towed two vehicles from Main Street and one from Garfield Street for violating the winter parking ban.
•  On Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. responded to an Elm Street resident who had locked herself out of her home. Police were able to get her back in.
•  On Dec. 6 at 11 a.m. responded to a reported theft at a Mountain Street home, and determined the report was unfounded.
•  On Dec. 6 at 1:51 p.m. mediated a custodial dispute between Pine Street residents.
•  On Dec. 6 at 8:48 p.m. arrested Cassandra Fraser-Brown at her home in Bristol for failing to appear at a scheduled court hearing. Police took her to Chittenden Regional Correctional facility for lack of $10,000 bail. On Oct. 23, Bristol police had cited Fraser-Brown, then age 23, for forgery.
•  On Dec. 6 at 11:50 p.m. responded to a request from Shelburne police to help them search a business where an alarm had been tripped and window broken to gain entry. Police believed an intruder was still in the building. Bristol police secured the perimeter while their Shelburne counterparts searched inside.
•  On Dec. 8 at 8:15 a.m. responded to an alarm activation at the Bristol Municipal Offices, but found it had been tripped by a staff member who didn’t know the code.
•  On Dec. 8 at 7:41 p.m. helped a sibling of a Munsill Avenue resident deliver a message to the resident informing them that their father was in the hospital and very ill. The resident said his father had died years ago. Police gave the resident a contact number to call his family.
•  On Dec. 9 at 11:40 a.m. investigated a reported assault of a student by another student at Bristol Elementary School. Police said the aggressor has a history of disruptive behavior.
•  On Dec. 9 at 10:27 p.m. responded to a report of a vehicle stuck in the snowstorm on Route 116 South, near the Middlebury town line. Police found the roadway to be clear.
•  On Dec. 10 at 9 a.m. received a call from a concerned resident that a utility pole on Garfield Street appeared to be at risk of toppling over due to the previous night’s snowstorm. Police relayed the information to Green Mountain Power, who said they’d get to it when they could.
•  On Dec. 10 at 2:09 p.m. responded to a report of downed power lines on East and Mountain streets due to the snowstorm. Police relayed the call to Green Mountain Power, as well as information about a downed tree and power line on Rockydale Road that was blocking traffic.
•  On Dec. 10 at 3:38 p.m. served an arrest warrant to a material witness who failed to appear after being subpoenaed for a criminal case. Police found the witness in Brattleboro.
•  On Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. responded with state police to a report of a drunken woman trying to break into a Carlstrom Road home. People living in the home told police they believed domestic violence had occurred, and that both the victim and the offender were on the scene. Bristol police let state troopers handle the case. State police made no mention of the incident in their reports.
•  On Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. responded to Main Street for a report of a vehicle blocking traffic in the snow, but it was gone when they arrived.
•  On Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. cleared a fallen tree from the westbound lane of East Street. A worker from VTrans came with a chainsaw and made the job a heck of a lot easier.
•  On Dec. 10 at 11:05 p.m. found a downed tree near the Lord’s Prayer Rock on the eastern edge of town, pulling down power lines. Green Mountain Power cut power to the lines, and VTrans workers removed the tree.
•  On Dec. 12 at 1:30 p.m. served an abuse prevention order to a Mountain Street resident on behalf of the Superior Court of California.
•  On Dec. 12 just after 2 p.m. responded to a fire alarm at Living Well Community Care Home on Maple Street. Turns out, it was a fire drill.
•  On Dec. 13 at 7:13 p.m. picked up two stray dogs on the Mount Abe grounds and took them to the pound.
•  On Dec. 13 at 11:02 a.m. responded to an alarm at department headquarters. It was set off when snow fell into the sally port door.
•  On Dec. 13 at 11:30 a.m. took a report of a vehicle damaged while parked at Shaw’s on Prince Lane.
•  On Dec. 13 at 7:10 p.m. went door to door on High Street and Mountain Terrace to check on residents, as there was a power outage in the neighborhood. Everyone reported they were doing OK.
•  On Dec. 14 at 3:56 a.m. responded to a burglary alarm at Maplefields on West Street. An employee told police they’d accidentally set it off when they were opening the store.
•  On Dec. 14 at 10 a.m. arrested town resident Randy J. Gorton, 43, for driving with a suspended license. Police saw him driving from Mountain Street to Prince Lane. He is due in court Jan. 12.
•  On Dec. 15 at 9:30 a.m. provided a police escort for the New Haven Fire Department for the funeral procession for fireman Ken Sawyer.
•  On Dec. 14 at 10:47 p.m. went to a Munsill Avenue home for a noise complaint. The complainant said neighbors where making too much noise for her to sleep. Police didn’t hear any excessive noise, but informed the neighbors about the complaint.
•  On Dec. 15 at 10:39 a.m. looked for two truant students at the Garfield Street home of their father. Police later discovered that the children did show up at school.
•  On Dec. 15 at 12:55 p.m. assisted an electrician at the town’s main intersection while he repaired the traffic signal that was damaged by the power outage.
•  On Dec. 15 at 4:30 p.m. police referred a woman seeking a no trespass notice against her ex-husband to family court.
•  On Dec. 15 at 8:31 p.m. took a complaint from a West Street resident who was having problems with a neighbor. Police took statements and referred the case to the Addison County State’s Attorney.
•  On Dec. 16 at 1:11 a.m. responded to a report of an elderly man who was walking down the middle of West Street and appeared confused. Police found the man and put him in touch with a family member.
•  On Dec. 17 at 10:40 a.m. responded to a “minor disturbance” on West Street where a town crew was removing snow. Police said the person causing the disturbance, which they did not detail, was gone when they arrived.
•  On Dec. 17 at 5:20 p.m. picked up a stray dog from the corner of North and Garfield streets and returned it to its owner on Mountain Street.
•  On Dec. 18 at 9:30 a.m. responded to a Lauritsen Lane resident who had fallen. Police walked the resident’s dog while medical crews treated the person.
•  On Dec. 18 at 12:46 p.m. took a report of a resident who believed they were the target of an attempted phone scam.
•  On Dec. 18 at 7:42 p.m. served an abuse prevention order to a Mountain Street resident.
•  On Dec. 18 at 11 p.m. reminded bar patrons on Main Street of the winter parking ban in the village. That night, police ordered one vehicle towed.
•  On Dec. 19 at 8 a.m. responded to the Lathrop Mill for a tripped alarm, which was deemed accidental.
•  On Dec. 19 at 1:20 p.m. responded to Mount Abe where staff had recovered a small amount of marijuana from a student, who they said was holding it for another student. Both students were under the age of 16 and will be charged for possession as juveniles, police said.
•  On Dec. 19 at 3:26 p.m. responded to Bristol Elementary School where someone found an unexpended 10-guage shotgun shell. Police believe it fell out of a vehicle, and disposed of the ordnance.
•  On Dec. 19 at 8:28 p.m. responded to a car crash in the Shaw’s parking lot on Prince Lane. Police discovered a Toyota pickup had backed into another vehicle. The pickup then fled the scene. Police later tracked the driver down in Huntington and ticketed the driver.
•  On Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. spoke with an East Street resident who said her ex-boyfriend was harassing her in person and online. Police directed her to family court.
•  On Dec. 20 just before 1:30 p.m. mediated a domestic argument at a South Street apartment.
•  On Dec. 22 at 4:49 p.m. warned a Bristol woman of harassment via text message after receiving a complaint from the alleged victim’s daughter.
•  On Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. responded to the Kountry Trailer Park to conduct a welfare check. The resident was found to have been in Georgia on a visit, and in good health.
•  On Dec. 23 at 9 p.m. provided a Mountain Street resident with information about a future court hearing.
•  On Dec. 23 at 11:14 p.m. assisted state police in searching a vehicle on Route 116 North during a traffic stop.
•  On Dec. 24 at 10:30 p.m. issued a citation to a South Street resident on behalf of the Rutland County State’s Attorney.
•  On Dec. 25 at 3 p.m. stopped a driver on East Street for an equipment violation. The driver was found to have a suspended license. Police also searched the vehicle and seized contraband. They said lab tests on the substance may necessitate criminal charges.
•  On Dec. 25 at 10:30 p.m. responded to Mountain Street for a report of gunshots on the block of that street and Mountain Terrace. Police did not find anything.
•  On Dec. 26 at an undisclosed time responded to South Street for a woman with head pain. Bristol Rescue arrived and took over the scene.
•  On Dec. 26 at 11:10 p.m. stopped into ND’s Bar and spoke with the barkeeper about a violation.
•  On Dec. 27 at 1:05 a.m. while patrolling Route 116 South arrested town resident Tyler J. Ask, 22, on suspicion of driving under the influence. Police stopped Ask for a driving offense and said he failed roadside dexterity tests. His blood alcohol level was found to be 0.153 percent, nearly twice the legal limit. Ask is due in court Jan. 12.
•  On Dec. 27 at 3:50 p.m. arrested Jennie D. Bosco, 37, of Bristol for driving with a suspended license. Police stopped Bosco on Route 116 South for a driving violation. She is due in court in February.
•  On Dec. 27 at 11:13 p.m. helped a woman find a place to stay after she said she was kicked out of her home by her domestic partner.
•  On Dec. 29 at 9 p.m., a clerk at Champlain Farms called police to report a suspected fake license presented by a man at the store who was trying to buy alcohol. The man fled the store when the clerk grew suspicious, but police discovered he was an 18-year-old Salisbury resident, and ticketed him for using a fake ID.
•  On Dec. 30 at 10:17 a.m. responded to a Main Street home for a woman with difficulty breathing. Bristol Rescue took the woman to the hospital.
•  On Dec. 30 at 1:51 p.m. responded to a medical call at a Pine Street business, but the patient refused medical transport and said they were OK.
•  On Dec. 31 at 3:38 a.m. responded to a family disturbance at a Pleasant Street home. Police said the woman who called them had been involved in an argument with her boyfriend, and was drunk while outside in clothing not suitable for the cold. Police arrived to find the boyfriend lying on the sidewalk of Elm Street in only jeans and a t-shirt. Police said he’d been there a while, and Bristol Rescue took him to the hospital. Police determined that no crime had been committed.
•  On Dec. 31 at 2:20 p.m. checked the area of East Street after receiving a report of an erratic driver on Rockydale Road. Police couldn’t find any driver that fit that description.
•  On Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. investigated the misuse of a Dumpster at the Almost Home Market and identified a suspect.
•  On Dec. 31 tried to serve an abuse prevention order to a resident, but found the resident had moved to Maine. Police forwarded the order to authorities in that state.
•  On Dec. 31 at 10:07 p.m. responded to an alarm at the town offices, but determined that a raucous New Year’s Eve party on the floor above had caused the alarm to activate.