ADDISON COUNTY — Police response to a report of a fight in the middle of a road in Lincoln last week resulted in three people going to jail — two of whom were also allegedly connected to a separate incident in Bristol.
On Wednesday, Nov. 4, at approximately 2:53 p.m. Vermont State Police responded to a report of a fight on West River Road in Lincoln. Dispatchers told the troopers that two vehicles had stopped outside a residence just west of Atkins Road.
Police report that while the vehicles were stopped two men exited their respective vehicles and began fighting after one man smashed the windshield of the other man’s vehicle.
Troopers arrived to find four people — two men and two women from Middlebury, Starksboro and Huntington — in and around a heavily damaged, blue Chevrolet. The Chevrolet had sustained damage to the windshield, rear window and right rear passenger window — reportedly caused by blows from a baseball bat.
By interviewing people at the scene, troopers said they determined that three people — Tara Tower, 38, of Monkton; Tove Tower, 39, of Addison; and Shawn Collette, 47, no residence given — were driving in dark green Dodge truck when they confronted four people in the blue Chevy. During the confrontation, police allege, Tara Tower stood in front of the Chevy, preventing it from driving away, while Tove Tower used a baseball bat to smash the passenger-side rear window. Collette allegedly approached the man sitting in the front passenger seat and demanded that he identify himself. The passenger refused to identify himself to Collette, and Collette then drew a plastic toy gun, painted black and modified to appear as though it was real, and placed the gun to the passenger’s head, police report.
Upon seeing the gun and smashed glass, the woman behind the wheel of the Chevy attempted to drive away. Tara Tower jumped onto the vehicle and remained on the car’s hood for a short distance before the Chevy stopped. Once it stopped, Tove Tower smashed the rear window and Shawn Collette struck the Chevy’s windshield twice — damaging it, police report.
Tara Tower contacted state police to report she had been nearly run over. Police arrived, asked some questions, and took Tara Tower, Tove Tower and Shawn Collette into custody and processed them for multiple offenses, including unlawful mischief, disorderly conduct and aggravated assault.
Collette was jailed for lack of $10,000 bail. Tara Tower’s bail was set at $5,000 and Tove Tower’s bail was set at $2,500, and state police said the Towers were lodged on charges stemming from a separate incident:
Bristol police on Nov. 4 cited Tara Tower for assault and robbery, and cited Tove Tower for accessory aiding in a felony, both relating to an altercation that occurred in the Bristol town park the previous day. Bristol police allege that Tara Tower had arranged to meet someone at the park to buy a car CD player. A press release sent by Bristol Police Chief Kevin Gibbs recounts:
“When (the seller) showed up (Tara Tower) looked at the CD player and asked the owner if it was stolen. The owner stated ‘No,’ to which Tower responded ‘It is now’ and began to walk away with the CD player.”
Police allege that when the owner tried to get the CD player back, Tara Tower began striking him in the face with the CD player. Gibbs’ report says that Tove Tower, who had come to the park in a separate vehicle, assisted her sister, Tara, and “both continued to beat the owner until he was able to get away and run off.”
According to Gibbs, Tove Tower told the owner of the CD player during the alleged assault that she suspected him of breaking into and vandalizing a family camp. The assaulted man was transported to Porter Hospital and treated for injuries to his head and face.
Tara and Tove Tower were lodged at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.
In the only other report in the past week from the New Haven barracks of the Vermont State Police, troopers report that on Nov. 6 at 12:55 a.m. an officer stopped a car driven by Jeremy P. Roberts, 33, of Addison on Panton Road in Panton for an apparent traffic infraction. Police said that their investigation showed that Roberts was under the influence of drugs. He was cited for driving under the influence.