VERGENNES — A report of a masked man outside of a Vergennes lending institution last week proved to be a false alarm, city police said.
Police on Friday, Jan. 25, were called because a man was walking back and forth near a credit union wearing, according to police, a white mask that covered his entire head, a black jacket and white boots. Police said they recognized him when he complied with their request to remove the mask, and he told police he was acting out because he was unhappy.
Police gave him a ride to Shaw’s Supermarket to buy groceries. Not long afterward the man called police from the Champlain Farms convenience store and asked for a ride home. Police suggested he seek a ride elsewhere, but said he could call back if he was unable to find one. They did not hear from him again.
Among other incidents between Jan. 21 and 27, Vergennes police:
On Jan. 21 dealt with a complaint of two dogs running loose in Booth Woods.
On Jan. 22:
•  Helped Vermont State Police by dealing with a one-car accident in Addison.
•  Checked out a report that a boy was playing near thin ice on Otter Creek, but found no one.
On Jan. 23:
•  Ordered a car to be towed that was left on city streets overnight in violation of the city’s wintertime parking ban.
•  Began an investigation into an alleged $4,000 bank fraud case.
•  Looked into a complaint from a Monkton Road business of illegal trash in its Dumpster.
On Jan. 24:
•  Ordered towed a car that was left on city streets overnight in violation of the city’s wintertime parking ban.
•  Heard a complaint from a funeral home customer that it had not honored the family’s wishes in how it had transported a deceased person; police said it was a civil matter and that if the family could not work things out with the funeral home it could report the issue to the Secretary of State’s Office.
On Jan. 25:
•  Helped a driver whose car could not navigate North Maple Street in poor road conditions.
•  Were told by a Northlands Job Corps employee that keys had been lost.
•  Took a report that alleged a woman’s mother had taken money from a joint account without permission; police told the woman and her daughter it was a civil matter, but recommended ending the joint account.
•  Helped an owner get into a locked vehicle on South Water Street.
On Jan. 26 helped the Vergennes Area Rescue Squad on Monkton Road.