BRISTOL — On May 24 at 4:18 a.m., Bristol police were dispatched to Main Street near Rite Aid for a man reported to be experiencing a mental health crisis. An officer arrived to find the man in an agitated state. The man said he felt like people were trying to kill him.
The officer helped calm the man, who then agreed to come with the officer to Porter Hospital to meet with a counselor from the Counseling Service of Addison County.
The on-call counselor declined to come to Porter to meet with the man and said that no one could go to Porter until 9 a.m. The counselor said he had spoken to the man earlier in the night by phone, and he felt the man just needed medical treatment. The officer met with the emergency department doctor, who believed the man would not be a problem and let the officer know he could leave.
The officer stayed at the emergency department for a while to make sure the man’s mood did not change and then advised the Porter staff to call if the man became uncooperative. The man remained at Porter under the care of emergency room staff.
Between May 22 and 29, Bristol police conducted five town-contracted traffic patrols, covering Hewitt, Meehan and Rockydale roads, and Route 116. Police issued three tickets for speeding, and two warnings, one of which was for driving with an expired driver’s license.
During that period Bristol police also conducted four security checks of the Mount Abraham Union High School buildings and grounds and five checks of the downtown area. On two occasions, police found doors unsecured. In the park, police found a purse, whose owner is yet to be identified. Police also ticketed vehicles parking on Main Street in violation of the two-hour parking limit.
In other activity, Bristol police:
•  Assisted Bristol Rescue with a medical emergency at a Main Street business on May 22.
•  Took fingerprints for someone seeking work in the schools on May 22.
•  Received a report that a Mount Abe student had been found under the influence of marijuana. School policy requires such incidents be reported to the police. The school is taking disciplinary action, including a school suspension and drug counseling. No court action is being taken, as no physical evidence was found.
•  Responded to an alarm at the Bristol town office on May 22. Police found that the cleaning staff had accidentally set off the alarm.
•  Investigated two reports of fireworks or gunfire in the village area on May 22.
•  Made an arrest for driving with a criminally suspended license, while working on the Click It or Ticket detail in the East Middlebury area on May 23.
•  Responded to Bristol Elementary School on May 23 at 9:15 a.m. after a possible threat to a support staff member was reported by the superintendent. The staff member was not in the building, so police determined that no students or staff were at risk. Police discussed threat assessment with school administration and conducted follow-up.
•  Began investigating an internet-connected gaming device on May 23 following a report from a concerned citizen.
•  Investigated a reported suspicious vehicle near the Community Bank on West Street on May 23. Police said a vehicle had gone around the bank about four times in a short period, stopping in view but away from the drive-through teller window. The officer stood by in the area for about 45 minutes but the vehicle was not seen again.
•  Responded to a Plank Road residence for a reported theft of a hanging flowerpot on May 23.
•  Responded to the Rite Aid parking lot for a minor traffic crash on May 23. Police determined that a vehicle pulling into a parking space struck the driver’s door of a parked vehicle when the operator of that vehicle opened it to exit.
•  Took a report on May 24 from a district resident involved in a minor two-vehicle crash near Champlain Farms on May 22.
•  On May 24 began a Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation into the reported exploitation of a child by an adult using the internet.
•  Responded to a North Street residence for a Lifeline alert on May 25.
•  Received report of harassment using electronic devices. The situation had caused issues at school between the juveniles involved. But since the actual offense was outside the police district, the complaint was referred to state police with an offer to assist further if needed.
•  Participated in a Click It or Ticket detail in Ferrisburgh on May 26. Police issued several tickets for violations including marijuana possession and not wearing a seatbelt.
•  Were dispatched to the Bristol Recreational Field off Airport Drive on May 26 for a report of youths carrying spray paint that might be used to spray graffiti. Police interviewed youths in the area and determined they did not possess spray paint.
•  Completed a property check at Bristol Elementary School on May 27.
•  Assisted state police in an attempt to locate a vehicle thought to be travelling toward Bristol on May 27.
•  On May 27 began investigating a theft from Shaw’s and identified a suspect.
•  Responded to North Street for a noise complaint regarding a running electric generator on May 27.
•  Cited Peter Thibodeau, 35, of Bristol on May 27 for driving under the influence, violating conditions of release, and driving while license suspended for DUI.
Police report that at around 10:41 p.m., an officer observed Thibodeau fail to stop at a stop sign on Hewitt Road at the intersection of Lower Notch Road while operating an all-terrain vehicle on a public road. The officer stopped Thibodeau for the violation and detected signs of impairment. The officer then learned that Thibodeau’s driver’s license was suspended for a prior DUI conviction and that a judge had ordered Thibodeau not to buy, have or consume alcohol as part of conditions for release for a pending charge of aggravated assault.
Thibodeau refused field sobriety exercises roadside and was arrested without incident. During processing at the Bristol Police Department, his blood alcohol content was found to be 0.200; the legal limit for driving is 0.08. Thibodeau was lodged at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 bail, and arraigned May 30.
•  Cited Caleb Bonvouloir, 18, of Monkton for violating conditions of release on May 28.
Back on Jan. 30, Bonvouloir had pleaded innocent to a charge of sexual assault of a victim younger than 13, and was release on condition. One condition was not to go to a place where persons under 16 typically congregate (such as libraries, teen centers, parks, playground and schools) without adult supervision. Bonvouloir was located on the bandstand on the Bristol town park in the presence of juveniles.
•  Responded to the town park on May 28 at 7:09 p.m. A Bristol woman reported being confronted on the bandstand by another woman who reportedly pulled out a knife and threatened her, demanding items from the vehicle of an arrested man. The accused was no longer at the scene when police arrived.
Police later identified Michaela Sylvain, 18, of Middlebury as the offender. She was arrested, processed at the Middlebury Police Department and released with a citation charging her with aggravated assault.