BRISTOL — On April 29 officers from the Bristol Police Department assisted Vermont State Police, who had been involved in a very brief pursuit at around 11 p.m. that resulted in the suspect’s vehicle going off the road and through a fence at Lathrop’s Mill. Bristol police called a tow truck, blocked traffic and cut the chain link fence from under the vehicle.
The driver, identified by state police as 48-year-old Donald L. Brown of Bristol, was cited for driving under the influence, second offense, by state police.
The next morning Bristol police received a call from Lathrop’s Mill saying a fence had been damaged. Bristol police told mill staff about the state police chase and its conclusion, and gave the mill owner the case number and name of the investigating trooper to follow up with.
During April, Bristol police conducted 14 town-contracted traffic patrols on Monkton Road, Route 116, Hewitt Road and Lovers Lane. April 5 was the busiest day, when two stops on Route 116 south of the new bridge resulted in issuance of one ticket for speeding, one citation for driving with a suspended license, a warning for defective equipment, and tickets for possession of marijuana, driving with an open container of alcohol and without proof of insurance. On other traffic patrols, police issued three speeding tickets and eight warnings.
Police also checked to make sure local businesses were secure late at night on several occasions, and notified key holders when they weren’t.
In a recently released report, Bristol police said they also:
•  On April 1 at 1:03 p.m. received a child’s medications from the child’s mother and upon request delivered the medications to a school office, where the child was being tutored.
•  On April 1 at 1:37 p.m. assisted the Addison County State’s Attorney by issuing a subpoena to a female located walking on West Street.
•  On April 1 inspected a vehicle identification number.
•  On April 1 an officer attended a 15-minute training in interviewing tips.
•  On April 1 at 6:44 p.m. received a debit/credit card found on the ground at a local bank, and contacted the owner.
•  On April 2 at 8:30 a.m. put a note on an abandoned and/or improperly parked car on Prince Lane saying it would be towed by the end of the day, and it was reportedly driven off at about noon.
•  On April 2 at 11:20 a.m. the chief had lunch with and was given a tour of a student’s workspace by a Bristol Elementary student. The student had asked to have a police officer as a guest as a reward for the student’s good work at home and at school.
•  On April 2 at 1:24 p.m. were told that a visitor to a Main Street property had left two car tires on the property, and police located the person and ticketed that person for littering.
•  On April 2 at 2 p.m. assisted with a student reported out of control at Bristol Elementary School. The officer calmed the child until a parent responded and took the child for evaluation.
•  On April 3 received a set of car keys found on Pleasant Street. Police said the owner was identified in less than two minutes after a picture of the keys was posted on the department’s Facebook page. The keys were returned to the owner.
•  On April 3 got a report that a vehicle had been damaged while parked at Shaw’s the previous day. No suspect vehicle or driver was identified.
•  On April 4 received a call from a local business about a possible fake $100 bill. After checking over the bill, police found it to be legitimate.
•  On April 4 at 10:21 p.m. an officer went to a Main Street apartment for a reported citizen dispute. The officer found three adult males, two adult females and one juvenile female. After observing the scene, the officer applied for a search warrant, which was granted, and the residence was searched. Marijuana and drug paraphernalia were located and confiscated. Court action is pending crime lab results on evidence.
•  On April 5 stopped a vehicle for defective equipment. Police cited the driver, identified as Anthony R. Bedell, 27, of Starksboro, for driving with a criminally suspended license. He was also ticketed for possession of one ounce of marijuana, and for driving with an open alcohol container and no proof of insurance.
•  On April 5 at 10:36 p.m. received a report of a suspicious male wearing a hoodie standing in front of a Main Street building. The subject was gone when police got there.
•  On April 7 at 1 p.m. checked a report of a suspicious vehicle seen driving up and down Pleasant Street very slowly. An officer located the vehicle and found three subjects driving around “reminiscing” about locations in the village.
•  On April 7 at 1:05 p.m. responded to the side parking lot of Shaw’s Supermarket where a FedEx driver reported a domestic disturbance. Both parties were gone when police arrived, and the witness reported the two were arguing about keys to the car. The two were located on Drake Smith Road still arguing about keys. Investigation revealed the male sustained a facial injury when the two were struggling over the keys but was not assaulted. Both were warned for disorderly conduct.
•  On April 7 found six orange cones on Route 116 just south of Brown’s Welding. Cones were taken to Bristol PD.
•  On April 7 responded to an alarm activation at Living Well Community Care Home on Maple Street, but found that it had been accidentally set off and there was no emergency.
•  On April 7 at 9:30 p.m. checked the welfare of a local resident who had reportedly told a family member he was going to harm himself. The resident was found well and denied the threat.
•  On April 8 at almost 1 p.m. received a complaint at a Main Street business where an upstairs residential tenant was reportedly playing a stereo very loud. The resident was asked to keep the music at a respectful level.
•  On April 8 initiated investigation of several alleged assaults of a Bristol woman by her boyfriend. Police got an official statement and took pictures of injuries from several reported assaults and one strangulation incident over the previous three to four weeks. Police said 21-year-old Damian Gratton of Bristol, also known as Damian Sulger, evaded capture on this charge and an outstanding probation warrant, but he was cited for aggravated domestic assault after he turned himself in on the warrant. He was being held without bail on the warrant.
•  On April 8 got a report of a vehicle operating recklessly on Pleasant Street at that time and on previous occasions. The vehicle was gone when police arrived.
•  On April 8 at nearly 8 p.m. received a report from an unknown male who saw two males standing near a Main Street apartment building. The caller thought one of the males might be someone police were looking for. This was not the case.
•  On April 9 were told that a former Mount Abraham Union High School student who had previously been issued a notice against trespass came onto the property and shouted obscenities at staff. A municipal ordinance citation was later issued to the violator.
•  On April 8 cited Rebecca Stokes 47, of Bristol for failing to comply with school attendance by a child at Mount Abe.
•  On April 9 a Bristol man came to the police department office seeking proof he had not been the subject of a Bristol police investigation as his ex-girlfriend was alleging in family court. After a check of BPD records turned up nothing, a letter was drafted and provided to the resident.
•  On April 9 picked up a stray beagle near the town park and took it to the pound. The dog has since been claimed by its owner.
•  On April 9 were contacted by four registered sex offenders living in the district and confirmed their registry information.
•  On April 9 at 11:52 p.m. impounded a vehicle on Main Street that had been issued several parking tickets and the owner given notice of a scofflaw violation. The vehicle was later released when the owner paid outstanding fines, late fees and towing.
•  On April 10 at 1:22 p.m. asked a tenant in a Main Street apartment to turn down loud music that could be heard in a business below.
•  On April 10 helped state police execute a search warrant at a residence at Green Mountain Family Campground. Two cats were seized from the residence where the resident had been gone for several days during which the cats were believed to be without care.
•  On April 12 at 10 40 p.m. stopped a car driven by Tausha L. Stalcup, 41, of Bristol at Pine and North streets for a defective headlight. Police cited Stalcup for driving with a criminally suspended driver’s license for five instances of failure to pay fines.
•  On April 13 responded to a burglary alarm at Living Well Community Care Home, and found all was fine.
•  On April 14 checked the fit of a seatbelt/booster seat for a child.
•  On April 14 checked the welfare of a 16-year-old who had made statements to a friend stating they were intending to commit suicide. The officer found the 16-year-old was OK and needed no further assistance.
•  On April 15 responded to a West Street residence with the Bristol Rescue Squad, where a male resident was reportedly disoriented and walking around the property. The resident refused all assistance.
•  On April 15 received a report from a Bristol man that advised kids were riding dirt bikes on his property and he had received complaints from neighbors. All officers were advised to check the area and take appropriate action.
•  On April 15 at 1:07 p.m. responded to the Bristol Police Station where the burglar alarm had been activated. Bristol police found that a trooper had inadvertently tripped the alarm while entering the front door.
•  On April 15 met with Bristol Elementary School administrators to discuss several truancy problems. Actions were planned for up to five students with excessive absences.
•  On April 5 at 3 p.m. checked an occupied vehicle at the back of the park. The occupant was found to be a registered sex offender claiming to be waiting to go to an appointment at a nearby business. The subject was monitored until leaving the area.
•  On April 16 received a light-colored German shepherd that had been running loose on Route 116 South in the area of Burritt Lane in Bristol. The dog was placed in the pound.
•  On April 16 posted fliers on Main Street asking residents to keep vehicles off the street for scheduled street sweeping during the night.
•  On April 16 at 11:42 p.m. responded to an alarm activation at Mount Abe. Police found all doors secure but one window was open. Bristol police, with help from state police, checked the school and found no one inside.
•  On April 17 at 7:26 a.m. responded to a North Street residence where there was an elderly female on the porch asking for help, being followed by a male in a white car. The woman was identified as someone known to have Alzheimer’s, and the man in the car was her husband. Assistance was given to return the woman home.
•  On April 17 assisted a state police trooper with a traffic stop on Munsill Avenue.
•  On April 17 at 7:30 p.m. were called to a fifth- and sixth-grade dance at Holley Hall, where a female juvenile was said to be causing a disturbance. The child was spoken to and released to a parent.
•  On April 17 an officer, while at Maplefield’s on West Street, was given a wallet found by an anonymous individual. The officer located the wallet’s owner and returned it.
•  On April 18 assisted VSP at a minor crash at the Watershed trailhead. Damage was minor and no injuries were reported.
•  On the afternoon of April 19 received a report from an off-duty officer of possible drug activity in a pull-off on Burpee Road near Daniel’s Four Corners. The vehicle was gone when police arrived, but a short time later police spotted the vehicle on North Street turning onto Main Street. An officer caught up with the driver at Bartlett Falls when the vehicle parked. Police found marijuana in the vehicle and issued a possession of marijuana ticket to a 19-year-old Bristol man for possession of 0.56 ounces of marijuana.
•  On April 19 at 4:20 p.m. received from state police a call for help locating a vehicle, but did not locate it.
•  On April 19 took a report of a burglary at a South Street residence, where the homeowner returned to find items missing, including two small rabbits and a ball python snake, firearms, cash and other items. Investigation is ongoing.
•  On April 19 assisted Middlebury police by obtaining a written statement from a district resident regarding an incident they were investigating.
•  On April 20 at midnight located a vehicle that had three unpaid parking tickets at a West Street residence. The vehicle was towed and the owner notified of its removal. A total of $175 was assessed for outstanding tickets, towing and storage.
•  On April 20 received a credit card found on Park Place and called its owner.
•  On April 20 at 5:09 p.m. responded to a reported hit-and-run in Shaw’s parking lot. Police said damage found on the vehicle did not appear recent and seemed more consistent with damage caused by a driver of the vehicle. A report was completed.
•  On April 21 stood by at Bristol Internal Medicine because of concerns a patient might become disruptive. No problem was encountered.
•  On April 21 at 2 p.m. were told that Shaw’s supermarket employees had found a MacBook Pro laptop computer behind the business. The computer will be held for safekeeping while efforts are made to identify the owner.
•  On April 21 completed a report after being called to a minor crash in which a Bristol man backed his vehicle into a parked vehicle on School Street.
•  On April 22 received a report that someone had vandalized property on the Bristol Recreation Field and at Mount Abraham Union High School with green and white spray paint. No suspects have yet been identified. The next morning police received a report of similar green and white spray paint vandalism on Pleasant Street.
•  On April 22 advised a Main Street resident how to avoid computer scams and how to report them when they happen.
•  On April 23 at 10 a.m. were told by a West Pleasant Street resident that a man had walked around her house and knocked on all doors. Police checked the neighborhood but could not find the man. The man was described as a white male with gray hair, a dark-colored baseball cap and a blue plaid shirt.
•  On April 23 at 10 p.m. confiscated 0.950 ounces of marijuana during a traffic stop. A civil marijuana ticket was issued.
•  On April 24 at 1:56 a.m. responded to a reported intoxicated female on Main Street needing medical attention. An officer assisted Bristol Rescue in assessing the female. The officer later released the female to her husband.
•  On April 24 checked on the welfare of a man at a North Street residence with the Counseling Service of Addison County after CSAC received a report the man was harming others. No problems were found.
•  On April 26 were notified of vandalism to a vehicle at a North Street residence, and found that numerous windows had been smashed with rocks.
•  On April 26 met, at the dog pound, the owner of chickens that had allegedly been attacked by two dogs on Stonewall Drive. The dogs were secured in the pound and an animal complaint form provided.
•  On April 26 found that a storm window was broken at the Village Creeme Stand. It appeared the window fell out and broke on the ground. Police informed the owner.
•  On April 26 at 9:56 p.m. responded to a North Street residence after Shelburne Dispatch received a call from the seven-digit phone number from that residence. The dispatcher advised she could hear someone in the residence but she could not get the person to come to the phone. Police found a female at the residence OK, the phone was dialed in error and no emergency was occurring.
•  On April 27 at 8:42 a.m. responded to the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union office, where there was a concern about a subject becoming disruptive during a meeting with staff. No problem was encountered.
•  On April 27 fingerprinted a new Postal Service employee at the request of the postmaster. Three sets of prints were taken.
•  On April 27 at 2 p.m. a parent came into the PD with her child to report an assault that had reportedly been committed at Mount Abraham Union High School. A statement was obtained from the student and follow-up is being conducted.
•  On April 27 complied with a VSP request to check a report of a vehicle against guardrails on Stoney Hill Road. Evidence was found of a crash but no vehicle. The vehicle was located at a residence on Mountain Street with the help of a witness; the driver was identified and cited by VSP for leaving the scene of a crash.
•  On April 27 at 10 p.m. received a request from Middlebury police to check the welfare of a teenager at a Main Street apartment. The teen had been photographed pointing a gun to his own head and the photo had been sent to another subject who was concerned. A Bristol officer made contact with the teen and the parent, and the teen was OK and said he and a friend had been joking around with a BB gun.
•  On April 27 at 8:19 p.m. received a report from an East Street resident that a tenant of a neighboring apartment was playing loud music. The officer found that the bass was resonating through the thin construction of the building, so he spoke to the neighbor and informed them of the “noise in the nighttime” statute and requested they turn the music and bass down so as not to disturb the neighbor.
•  On April 28 looked for a missing woman with Alzheimer’s disease but didn’t find her.
•  On April 28 spoke with the mother of a child living with a Bristol man. The mother claimed the child was “afraid” of the father but no specifics were obtained and the mother asked if she had to bring the child to the father who had custody. The mother was advised she could be punished by the court if she did not comply with the visitation schedule and was referred to the family court and the Department for Children and Families regarding her concerns.
•  On April 29 at 1:47 p.m. responded to West Street to check for a suspicious person reportedly ranting to a resident about recent activities in Baltimore. Police found the man on Route 116 south of the village but police had no problem with the man and gave him a courtesy ride to East Middlebury.
•  On April 29 at a little before 3 p.m. an officer witnessed a minor crash on West St near the intersection with North, South and Main streets. When parties and police looked at the vehicles no visible damage could be seen.
•  On April 30 began mediation of a dispute between Munsill Avenue residents over trees cut down.
•  On April 30 at just before noon responded to multiple complaints of leaf burning at a Church Street residence. The resident had a burn permit and complied when asked to pull a pile off the road edge and keep it on the property.
•  On April 30 at 1:51 p.m. responded to Monkton Road to look for a vehicle and parties involved in a possible domestic disturbance. Police said the couple was simply engaged in a verbal dispute.
•  On April 30 at 7:57 p.m. received a report of medications stolen from a vehicle by two subjects to whom the victim had given a ride. The officer spoke with the victim whose story about what had occurred changed multiple times. Police report that their investigation indicated the victim likely drove to Bristol from Winooski with two subjects he knew, likely gave his medication to them, who in turn attempted to sell the medication to a Main Street resident. Police speculate that when that sale did not happen the subjects left town with the pills leaving the victim without the medication or money from the medication sales. Follow-up is being conducted.