ADDISON COUNTY — Vermont State Police tagged five motorists for driving under the influence, or DUI, this past weekend. Four of the citations were issued in Addison County, and one Addison County man received his citation in Rutland County.
First, on Friday, Dec. 1, at just before 6 p.m., state police were called to help out at a one-car rollover crash on Forrest Road near Snake Mountain Road in Weybridge. The trooper said driver Lauren Jellison, 35, of Addison was unhurt by the crash but she showed signs of impairment. He screened Jellison for DUI and eventually cited her for DUI.
The same trooper encountered another DUI case just a few hours later. State police got a report of a wayward vehicle, and at a quarter past midnight on Dec. 2, the trooper found a vehicle parked in a field at the intersection of Plank Road and Burpee Road in Bristol. Police report that the driver, identified as 34-year-old Joey-Lynn Maness of Middlebury, exhibited signs of impairment. Police cited Maness for DUI. Bristol and Vergennes police assisted in the case.
Within an hour, at approximately 1:13 a.m. that Saturday morning, troopers were notified of a one-car crash on Route 22A in West Haven near Devil’s Bowl. Driver Jordan Handy, 22, of Orwell told police that he drove off the road to avoid collision with a deer; his car struck a culvert. He suffered minor injuries and the 2003 Nissan Exterra he was driving sustained extensive damage. Police cited Handy for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Later that morning, at 8:26 a.m., a different trooper observed a vehicle traveling northbound on Route 22A in Shoreham at a high rate of speed. The trooper reported that she clocked the vehicle at 88 mph in a 50 mph zone, so she stopped the car and took driver David Sears, 51, of Fort Ann, N.Y., into custody. After noticing signs of impairment, she had Sears evaluated by a Drug Recognition Expert and ended up citing him for speeding and DUI-drugs.
Finally, at around 1:25 a.m. on Sunday morning, state police stopped a motor vehicle on Route 22A in Addison and ended up citing Cody Steele, 25 of Shoreham for DUI.
Separately, state police issued a report of the traffic safety program they ran during the Thanksgiving holiday. During the five-day Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort), Nov. 22-26, troopers across Vermont conducted high-visibility enforcement and worked collaboratively with other state, county and local law enforcement agencies to reduce overall crashes on our highways and encourage safe driving behavior.
During this period Vermont State Police statewide dealt with 58 motor vehicle crashes; they involved:
•  Property damage only – 48.
•  Injury – 9.
•  Fatal – 1.
•  Alcohol/drug related – 7.
Other state police activity in this period included:
•  DUI arrests – 24.
•  Speeding violations – 516.
•  Safety belt violations – 9.
•  Motorist assists – 42.
Troopers made contact with 26 percent more drivers in 2017, for motor vehicle violations, then over the same period in 2016. There was a 48 percent reduction in reported motor vehicle collisions over the same period in 2016, when 108 crashes were reported.
Through Nov. 28, Vermont has experienced 65 motor vehicle deaths in 2017. Approximately 53 percent of those fatalities were not wearing seat belts.
The Vermont State Police asks all those who will be travelling over the December holidays to remember that safe, responsible driving is the priority for every trip.
In other recent activity, troopers:
•  On Nov. 25 at approximately 1:30 p.m. went to a one-car crash on Route 74 in Shoreham. Police report that Christy Fay Robtoy, 29, of Brooklyn, N.Y., told them she saw another vehicle coming at her in her lane of travel, she crossed the centerline and left the roadway. Robtoy was transported to Porter Medical Center for observation and evaluation.
This crash is still under investigation, anyone with information on it is asked to contact the New Haven VSP barracks at 388-4919.
•  On Nov. 26 at approximately 1:20 p.m. responded to a one-car crash on Ripton Road near Dow Road in Lincoln. Police report that William Freegard, 47, of Starksboro was driving a 1998 Toyota SR5 that experienced mechanical difficulty, left the road and crashed into a tree head on. A passenger was taken to UVM Medical Center for evaluation and treatment. The Toyota sustained heavy front-end damage. Troopers were assisted on scene by the Lincoln Fire Department and the Bristol Area Rescue Squad.
•  On Nov. 27 at approximately 7:50 a.m. stopped a car on Route 7 in Pittsford and cited Bryton Fontaine, 20, of Brandon for speeding. Police claim Fontaine was driving 82 mph in a 50 mph zone.
•  On Dec. 3, at approximately 9 a.m. were dispatched to a family fight at a Whiting home on Route 30. Police investigated and determined that Kyle LaFountain, 30, of Whiting was involved in a verbal altercation on Dec. 3 and a physical altercation on Dec. 1, where LaFountain was allegedly the aggressor. Troopers cited LaFountain for domestic violence.
•  On Dec. 3 at approximately 10:18 a.m. stopped a vehicle driven by Sara Kimball, 22, of Shoreham on Route 30 in Middlebury for not having a Vermont inspection sticker. Police cited Kimball for driving with a criminally suspended license.
Vermont State Police release a daily log of a selection of their activities. In Addison County, those activities included:
•  Nov. 27, motor vehicle disturbances, Route 7, New Haven.
•  Nov. 27, vandalism, Orchard Terrace, Bristol.
•  Nov. 27, larceny, Hillside Drive, Starksboro.
•  Nov. 27, alarm, Route 7, Leicester.
•  Nov. 27, motor vehicle disturbances, Route 7, New Haven.
•  Nov. 28, 911 hang-up, Shard Villa Road, Salisbury.
•  Nov. 28, citizen assist, River Road at Route 116, New Haven.
•  Nov. 29, directed patrol, River Road and Route 7, New Haven.
•  Nov. 30, sex offender registry check, Route 7, New Haven.
•  Nov. 30, motor vehicle disturbances, Court Street, Middlebury.
•  Nov. 30, citizen assist, Route 7, New Haven.
•  Nov. 30, suspicious person or circumstance, Lovers Lane, Bristol.
•  Nov. 30, sex offender registry check, Route 7, New Haven.
•  Nov. 30, agency assist, Dog Team Road, New Haven.
•  Nov. 30, citizen assist, Richville Road, Shoreham.
•  Dec. 1, citizen assist, Green Street, Vergennes.
•  Dec. 1, ATV incident, Quaker Village Road, Weybridge.
•  Dec. 2, traffic crash, Route 125 and Natural Turn Pike, Ripton.
•  Dec. 2, consent search, Route 22A and Farr Cross Road, Addison.
•  Dec. 2, agency assist, Victory Street, Vergennes.
•  Dec. 3, directed patrol, Route 7, New Haven.
•  Dec. 3, agency assist, Route 7, New Haven.
•  Dec. 3, citizen dispute, Ripton Road, Lincoln.
•  Dec. 4, citizen assist, Maple Street, Waltham.
•  Dec. 4, motor vehicle disturbances, Route 7 and Town Hill Road, New Haven.
•  Dec. 4, citizen assist, Route 22A, Shoreham.
•  Dec. 4, motor vehicle disturbances, Route 7 at the New Haven/Middlebury town line.
•  Dec. 4, citizen assist, Route 116 South, Bristol.
•  Dec. 4, alarm, Southwick Road, New Haven.
•  Dec. 4, citizen dispute, Cutting Hill Road, Shoreham.