VERGENNES — Vergennes police dealt with a variety of incidents between Aug. 27 and Sept. 9, including firearm issues, reports of possibly suicidal people, a search related to an out-of-state murder charge, two thefts, and allegations of harassment and abuse.
During that two-week period, Vergennes police:
On Aug. 27:
•  Responded at about 4 a.m. to a report of a family fight on High Street and discovered the real issue was a woman with a blood-alcohol content of 0.254; police took her to the Act 1 detox facility. As a point of reference, the legal blood alcohol content limit for driving in Vermont is 0.08.
•  Went to Addison to help Vermont State Police look for a suspect who allegedly fired a gun at some point during a neighborhood dispute about a dog killing a chicken.
•  After an alert about erratic driving, stopped a car heading into Vergennes on Route 22A and determined the driver was sober.
•  Heard from a woman that her estranged husband’s family was sending her harassing texts, a complaint they received again on Aug. 31. Police contacted the husband and asked that the texts cease.
On Aug. 28:
•  Handled an accident in which a truck struck another vehicle parked on Main Street.
•  Helped a private traffic-control company recover items from a terminated employee.
•  Attempted to aid state police by serving a relief-from-abuse order to a Ferrisburgh resident, but could not find him.
On Aug. 29:
•  Served an abuse-prevention order on a Vergennes resident on behalf of a Chittenden County court.
•  Helped the Vergennes Area Rescue Squad at the United Technologies plant, where a worker had passed out due to heat.
•  Began investigating the theft of a drug-testing kit from Kinney Drug Store.
On Aug. 31:
•  Took a report of an accident in which a garbage truck backed into a motorcycle parked on Main Street.
•  Helped a motorist get into a locked vehicle on South Water Street.
•  Began investigating the theft of a credit card; a man left it at a city gas station and it had been taken before he returned and used to buy gas in Buffalo, N.Y.
•  Looked into the report of a possibly suicidal resident of First Street, but determined the person was OK.
•  Helped Albany, N.Y., police obtain a search warrant to look through belongings that a former Northlands Job Corps resident had left on the campus and then helped with the search; police said the search was related to a murder charge and that Albany police later made an arrest, but that they do not believe the search on Macdonough Drive produced anything helpful.
On Sept. 1:
•  Ticketed a minor for speeding on Panton Road and driving without a license and called his mother to come pick him up.
On Sept. 2:
•  Directed traffic at the intersection of Routes 7 and 22A while Vice President Pence’s motorcade passed by.
•  Looked unsuccessfully for a man who had broken into a South Water Street church; police said nothing was damaged or missing.
•  Took a complaint from a North Street resident that others were making false claims about him on Facebook.
On Sept. 4:
•  Checked the welfare of a Hillside Drive apartment resident, who was found to be fine.
•  Checked on a report of a suspicious person photographing the Velco substation on North Main Street and learned it was an engineering subcontractor.
•  Responded to a complaint of vehicles blocking Scovil Lane and asked customers of a childcare center there to be more careful about their parking habits.
•  Went to Shaw’s Supermarket to handle a complaint of a customer yelling at a cashier when his card was declined while checking out; he was gone when police arrived.
•  Calmed a child-custody dispute at a Hillside Drive apartment.
On Sept. 5:
•  Helped Vergennes Union High School administrators deal with a student who was vaping (using an electronic cigarette) on school grounds; police confiscated a vape pen and beads for testing.
•  Checked out a report of a suspicious vehicle near Evergreen Preschool and talked to the occupant, determining there was no problem.
•  Issued court diversion paperwork for underage drinking to two Northlands students.
On Sept. 6:
•  Began investigating the theft of a John Deere riding mower from Auto Creek on West Street.
•  Were told by a parent that his ex-wife had allegedly been drinking heavily in front of his teenage son; police advised him to contact the Department for Children and Families if the problem persisted.
•  Counseled an 11-year-old girl who had been reported to have run away from home, but was found hiding on the property.
•  After responding to a 911 call helped calm an autistic child who had been acting out and told the family to call them again if necessary.
•  Cited Eva Ginalski, 18, of Middlebury with simple assault; police allege she slapped a male acquaintance in the face.
On Sept. 7:
•  Served paperwork about an upcoming court hearing to a Valley Vista resident on behalf of a Rutland court.
•  Discussed an incident of possibly threatening behavior with a man who came into the office, including advising him how to get a restraining order.
•  Warned a dog owner about restraining her dog, a warning that was issued after they spoke to neighbors she had alleged had harassed her and her dog while they were walking, and the neighbors said the dog was a problem.
•  Heard from a Macdonough Drive parent that a another child was regularly bullying her child; police offered to set up and mediate a meeting between the two families.
On Sept. 8:
•  Took a report of a possibly suicidal man and asked the Addison County Sheriff’s Department to check it out because he lived outside the city; police were told he was fine.
•  Processed and cited Robert Clark, 56, of Ferrisburgh for driving under the influence of drugs after stopping his car for allegedly talking on his cellphone.
•  Took reports of gunshots from residents of Ice House Court and South Water and Main streets, but could not find the source.
On Sept. 9:
•  Helped VARS on Hillside Drive.
•  Looked into a report of possible child abuse on South Water Street and found no problem.
•  Unsuccessfully tried to find the source of fireworks reported on North Street.
•  Helped VSP by trying to find a vehicle on School Street, but could not find it.
•  Went to Addison and stood by at an accident scene until state police could arrive; police said a vehicle had gone off the road and the driver was confused.