VERGENNES — As more thefts of cash and items from unlocked vehicles or unsecured areas continue to occur regularly in Vergennes, City Police Chief George Merkel said officers have increased foot patrols during nighttime hours. He also recommended that residents be more careful.
Especially, Merkel said vehicles should be locked, and valuables and cash should not be left in them.
On May 31 food, tools and a backpack police were told contained $650 in cash were taken from a deck behind the Black Sheep Bistro, and a laptop computer that had been delivered to a North Main Street home was stolen off a porch.
On June 1 three unlocked vehicles were entered. Police said small amounts of cash were taken from a vehicle parked on Main Street and from two vehicles in a New Haven Road driveway.
In other incidents between May 28 and June 3, Vergennes police:
On May 28:
•  Helped Vermont State Police try to track down a suspect who fled on foot after a vehicle pursuit on Hawkins Road in Ferrisburgh. City police used their canine to track the suspect to Sand Road, but believe an accomplice picked him up there.
•  Accepted a Fitbit wristband a citizen found near Vergennes Union High School; it is being held at the station in hopes its owner will claim it.
•  Responded to an illegal burn of lawn debris on Thomas Circle.
•  Helped a motorist get into a locked vehicle at Shaw’s Supermarket.
•  Told a motorist to move a vehicle parked in the Shaw’s fire lane.
•  Locked up an art gallery found unsecured after hours.
•  Drove a woman to the Hill House in Middlebury who was stranded in Vergennes.
On May 29:
•  Began working with a Kinney Drug Store supervisor to investigate an alleged theft at the store.
•  Opened a vehicle on Green Street for parents who had accidentally locked two children inside it.
•  Helped a motorist get into a locked vehicle on Union Street.
•  Responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle behind the Bixby Library.
On May 30:
•  Cited Yona B. Feldbaum, 29, of Moden, Israel, for negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to yield. Police allege Feldbaum was driving a northbound Chevrolet Suburban on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh that veered into the opposite lane and struck a southbound Toyota Tundra pickup, causing heavy damage and minor injuries to a passenger. The Suburban flipped over, but police said Feldbaum and children in the vehicle were unhurt.
•  Went to the Vergennes Animal Hospital to calm a man whose dog had been running loose and then impounded there; he had complained when it wasn’t released, but it needed to be vaccinated and was released after it received shots, police said.
•  Were told of an alleged drug deal near a Ferrisburgh store.
•  Administered a breath test to an underage Northlands Job Corps student and issued court diversion paperwork when he tested positive for alcohol use.
•  Looked for a suspicious man reported to be looking into a Main Street home, but found no one.
On May 31 received a complaint from United Technologies security that a terminated employee had taken a company laptop; the employee said it was his to take, and police determined it was a civil dispute.
On June 1 cited Brian Warner, 44, of Rutland for driving under the influence of drugs. Police said he initially refused a blood test, but they obtained a warrant for the procedure. Police also cited him for possession of marijuana.
On June 2 responded to two reports of people who needed assistance. The Vergennes Area Rescue Squad took a woman lying on a Green Street sidewalk vomiting and apparently highly intoxicated to Porter Hospital, and rescue personnel also took an unconscious man in a Main Street apartment to Porter.
On June 3:
•  Performed a background employment check on behalf of Prescott, Ariz., police.
•  Cited Darrell Tucker, 61, of Vergennes for driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop near the intersection of Panton Road and West Main Street.