ADDISON COUNTY — Vermont State Police on Wednesday, July 29, cited a Leicester man for possession of more than a half-pound of marijuana and reckless endangerment, following an investigation at a home off Delorm Road.
Police allege that Michael Quinn Jr., 23, was found to be in possession of approximately 290 grams (0.64 pounds) of marijuana. The VSP’s investigation suggests that Quinn also cooked butane hash oil (BHO), endangering the welfare of others, according to Trooper Kaitlyn Armstrong. She called the cooking an “extremely dangerous process,” involving the extraction of THC from marijuana with a solvent like butane and then “cooking off” the solvent to create a golden substance with the consistency of honey. The BHO contains a very high percentage of THC (the main chemical in marijuana responsible for the drugs psychological effects) that is then smoked or eaten, according to police.
Quinn is scheduled to answer to the charges at the Addison County Courthouse on Aug. 10.
In other recent action, troopers:
•  On July 25 at approximately 10:29 p.m. were called to a noise disturbance on Tow Path Lane in Ferrisburgh. Troopers report that while they were at the scene Jessie Huestis, 35, and Todd Huestis, 44, both Ferrisburgh residents, engaged state police and Vergennes police officers in a physical altercation. State police arrested both Jessie and Todd Huestis, cited them for disorderly conduct and released them. This case is still under investigation and more charges could be forthcoming.
•  On July 28 at a little after 6 p.m. received a call regarding a theft of an automobile from Monkton Road in Bristol. Authorities recovered the vehicle the next day in New Jersey. Police have cited Essex resident Matthew Coppola, 24, who late last week was being held in Essex County, N.J., for lack of $30,000 bail, according to police. Coppola will be extradited to Vermont in the future to answer to further charges, police said. New Jersey police discovered the stolen car while looking into a report of a suspicious vehicle.
•  On July 29 began investigating reports of forged bank checks used at several locations in Middlebury and Vergennes. Police said their investigation showed that 16 bank checks were forged fraudulently between June 12 and July 28 totaling more than $3,000. Police cited Jennifer M. Poulos, 28, of Ferrisburgh for 16 counts of forging bank checks and 16 counts of uttering a forged instrument. She is due to answer the charges in Addison Superior Court, criminal division, on Oct. 12.
•  On July 30 at around 7:27 p.m. responded to a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 89 in Richmond in which a former Bristol resident — 30-year-old Brendon Cousino of Richmond — was killed. Police said their preliminary investigation showed that a Barre woman, 23-year-old Karri Benoir, was driving southbound on I-89 and crossed over the grass median and struck Cousino’s northbound car head-on in the northbound lanes. A northbound truck then struck the Barre woman’s vehicle, police said. Police said that when they arrived they found Cousino deceased from injuries he sustained in the crash; see an obituary in the Aug. 6 edition.
Benoir, who was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt, was taken to UVM Medical Center for treatment of what state police described as serious injuries. On Tuesday her condition was reported as good.
On Wednesday police say they cited Benoir for second-degree murder.
Vermont State Police detectives are asking for the public’s assistance with the investigation into this crash. Specifically, investigators would like to hear directly from anyone who may have witnessed the actions of the drivers/vehicles just prior to the crash, and any other information witnesses may have about the operation of all three vehicles. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Senior Trooper James Fox at the Vermont State Police Williston barracks at 802-878-7111.
•  On the morning of Aug. 1 investigated the theft of an automobile in Monkton. A local resident told police that her brother-in-law was staying with them for a few days before entering rehab. The man had called the Monkton family at 2 a.m. from a Burlington nightclub, but the family did not think anything of it until they got up that morning and found their car was missing. Police were on the lookout for the brother-in-law on suspicion that he had stolen the car.
•  On Aug. 1 at approximately 3:28 p.m. responded to a two-vehicle crash on Route 7 in Leicester. Police said their initial investigation showed that a vehicle that was northbound on Route 7 stopped to retrieve an item that had landed in the roadway. When other cars slowed due to the initial vehicle stopping in the roadway, this caused the 2013 Ford Edge driven by 88-year-old Chester Bodette of South Burlington to run into the rear end of a 2012 Suzuki SX4 driven by Joshua Giard, 34, of Leicester, causing damage to both vehicles and minor injuries. Fire and rescue personnel responded to the scene and the occupants were transported to Porter Hospital by Brandon and Middlebury rescue squads for medical evaluation.
The crash is still under investigation and anyone who witnessed the event is asked to contact Sgt. Paul Badger of the New Haven State Police barracks at 388-4919; an anonymous tip can be left online at www.vtips.info.
•  On Aug. 1 at around 9:30 p.m. looked into a report that a vehicle had gone off the road and caused property damage on Route 22A near Mutton Square in Orwell, before continuing southbound. Police found the vehicle— 2013 Kia Optima with heavy contact damage on the driver’s side — interviewed the driver roadside, detected signs of alcohol consumption, and screened the driver for driving under the influence. The trooper said that a preliminary breath test on 53-year-old Wendy M. McCullough of Pittsford showed a blood alcohol content of 0.159 percent; the legal limit for driving is 0.08 percent. The trooper cited McCullough for DUI, second offense.
•  On Aug. 3 at approximately noon responded with Vergennes police to a home on Route 22A in Panton for a reported family fight. Police said they found that 24-year-old Joseph Marszalkowski of Panton had an altercation with a family member, damaged a vehicle and two phones, and fled the scene. Troopers later found Marszalkowski in Vergennes, took him into custody, transported him to state police barracks in New Haven and cited him for unlawful mischief and interference with access to emergency services.