VERGENNES — Vergennes police cited a city resident with three counts of reckless endangerment on Feb. 19, charges that police said stemmed from Feb. 14, when the man conducted what they alleged he called “science experiments” with his three children that included starting fires with hand sanitizer.
Cited into court was Levi Dykema, 29. Police said they investigated after receiving a complaint from a woman they described as Dykema’s ex-wife, and they alleged the evidence included a Facebook video. Police said that none of the children, ages 5, 7 and 11, were hurt or burned.
In other incidents between Feb. 19 and 25, Vergennes police:
On Feb. 19:
•  Convinced a woman reported to be suicidal to accept transportation to Porter Hospital to meet with the Counseling Service of Addison County.
•  Were told someone had seen a Snapchat of what looked like an assault at Northlands Job Corps. With the help of Northlands security police identified the people involved and determined what had happened was horseplay and no one had been injured.
On Feb. 21:
•  Took a report of a phone scam in which a caller reported that $17,000 had been placed in a resident’s account and then asked the resident to buy Walmart gift cards and mail them to him.
•  Sent the department Drug Recognition Expert to help Vermont State Police at their New Haven barracks.
On Feb. 22:
•  Ticketed four cars left overnight on city streets in violation of the city’s wintertime parking ban.
•  Took a report that items were stolen from a New Haven Road home.
•  Checked the welfare of a Short Street resident, who was found to be fine.
On Feb. 23:
•  Checked the welfare of a Cataract Place resident, who was found to be fine.
•  Called a bank manager to help a cleaning person who was locked out of the business.
•  Ticketed a driver for possession of marijuana at a West Main Street traffic stop.
On Feb. 24:
•  Went to Addison Four Corners to help state police by directing traffic around a jackknifed truck.
•  Took a report that a vehicle had been struck while parked at Vergennes Union High School.
On Feb. 25 helped a woman get into her locked car on North Street.