VERGENNES — Between Aug. 3 and 9 Vergennes cited two citizens for driving under the influence of alcohol, and had a hand in a third DUI stop.
At around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, police received a call from an employee of a local convenience store who reported a drunk driver was leaving the establishment.
Police stopped a car driven by Jeffrey B. Giknis, 31, of Charlotte at the intersection of Routes 22A and 7. Police said Giknis’ blood alcohol content tested at 0.165 percent; the legal limit for driving is 0.08. The officer cited Giknis for DUI.
The next day, Aug. 7, city police stopped a car on Green Street for failing to stop at a stop sign. Police said a test of the driver’s blood alcohol content showed it was 0.84 percent. The officer cited John R. Cole, 44, of Ferrisburgh for DUI, second offense, and issued a ticket for failure to yield.
Also on the 7th, Vergennes police took part in a DUI task force patrol in the area of the Addison County Fair and Field Days. That patrol yielded one speeding ticket, four tickets for underage drinking violations, and one DUI citation. Information on that citation wasn’t available because the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department was handling that case.
In other activity last week, Vergennes police:
•  At around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 3 assisted Vermont State Police on Route 7 in North Ferrisburgh where a driver had lost his medication at a convenience store and suffered a panic attack. Vergennes Rescue Squad responded, evaluated the driver and declined to transport him to the hospital.
•  On Aug. 3 looked into the attempted theft of a four-wheeler off a trailer parked on Booska Court. The case is under investigation.
•  On Aug. 3 received a report that someone had stolen medication and personal items from car parked on New Haven Road.
•  On Aug. 3 assisted state police at a reported family fight in Panton, but the alleged perpetrator was gone when authorities arrived. Later, Vergennes police spotted the suspect, took him into custody and took him to the state police barracks in New Haven, where he was cited for unlawful mischief and interference with access to emergency services.
•  On Aug. 3 and Aug. 5 looked into reports of a barking dog on Green Street. In both cases police could not hear any barking dogs when they arrived. On the second call an officer spoke with a dog owner on the street who said his dog hadn’t been loud but he would keep an eye on his pet nevertheless.
•  On Aug. 3 stopped a tractor-trailer on Monkton Road for being overweight. The case was turned over to the Department of Motor Vehicles for enforcement; charges are pending.
•  On Aug. 4 checked the welfare of a Hillside Drive resident; a neighbor said the resident had been seen earlier that morning and police assumed she was fine.
•  On Aug. 4 were told by one female that she was receiving harassing phone calls from another female; police told the caller to knock it off.
•  On Aug. 4 checked out a report of a suspicious vehicle at the National Guard Armory; all was fine.
•  On Aug. 4 met with a woman who asked for advice because her boyfriend had been drinking and wouldn’t leave her alone and she was in fear for her safety. Police discovered an underlying disagreement between the woman and man; an officer talked to the man and he agreed to leave the woman alone.
•  On Aug. 5 looked into a complaint that a construction trailer was blocking an alley off Main Street. The owner of the trailer told police he would move it.
•  On Aug. 5 mediated complaints from two females who said they didn’t want to hear from each other. Police suggested to both parties that they block each other’s phone number.
•  On Aug. 5 stopped a tractor-trailer on Monkton Road, confirmed that it was overweight and discovered that the driver was in violation of driving time limits and took the driver out of service.
•  On Aug. 6 were told that someone was on the roof of a local business with a flashlight, but the person was gone when police arrived.
•  Went to a home in a nearby community for a report of a female having a mental health crisis on Aug. 6. When police arrived they found two workers from the Counseling Service of Addison County were on hand to take a woman to a job; the woman’s daughter had secured a key to the gun safe, removed a shotgun and was making the others fearful. The mother took the gun from her daughter, and the officer took the younger woman into protective custody and took her to the hospital.
•  On Aug. 6 received a report that an unauthorized person had left trash in a South Water Street trash can.
•  Looked into an automobile crash with minor damage at Small City Market on Aug. 6.
•  On Aug. 6 received a report of animal noises on Main Street, but an officer couldn’t hear any.
•  On Aug. 6 received a report that a vehicle had been parked without permission on a West Main Street property for five days. Police attempted to contact the vehicle’s owner, but were unsuccessful.
•  On Aug. 6 fielded a report that a 13-year-old female had received inappropriate text messages. Police attempted to call the number from which the texts had been sent, but they only got a recorded message in Spanish.
•  Looked into an Aug. 7 report of drug activity on South Water Street but found nothing.
•  On Aug. 8 assisted state police with a report of two bulls loose on Route 7 in North Ferrisburgh, but found nothing when they arrived.
•  Assisted VARS with a call at the Champlain Farms store on Aug. 8.
•  On Aug. 8 looked into a report of a parking violation in front of Kinney Drugs but the vehicle was gone when police arrived.
•  On Aug. 9 went on a directed patrol on East Street and ticketed the drivers of two vehicles for failure to yield at a stop sign.
•  On Aug. 9 told two young adults to move their vehicles, which were parked on a basketball court.
•  On Aug. 9 received a report of a two-car crash on Main Street at Macdonough Drive, but the vehicles were gone when police arrived.
•  On Aug. 9 went, with the Vergennes Fire Department, to a School Street home where a resident reported a strange, pungent odor that was burning his eyes. The odor had dissipated by the time authorities arrived.