VERGENNES — Vergennes police on Saturday arrested a Burlington man and charged him with first degree aggravated domestic assault following what Chief George Merkel said was one of the worst alleged domestic assault cases he was aware of.
Merkel said Officer Jill Harter, who responded to the assault, might have saved the victim’s life by using a Taser to disable the alleged assailant, Robert McFev, 53, of Church Street, Burlington, and halt the attack. The victim was taken to the UVM Medical Center in Burlington and on Tuesday was listed in serious, but stable, condition, with what Merkel described as severe head and facial injuries.
As well as first degree aggravated domestic assault, police cited McFev for committing that offense in front of a minor, the victim’s teenage son, and for burglary, because he allegedly broke into the victim’s Green Street, Vergennes, apartment with the intent of committing a crime, Merkel said.
Merkel said the victim’s son called to report an unwanted person at the apartment, and then called a second time to report the assault. Vermont State Police Trooper Jacqueline June backed up Harter, but Merkel said state police did not arrive before McFev had to be restrained with the electric shock of a Taser.
Police lodged McFev in the Chittenden Regional Correction Facility, where he was held without bail pending a Tuesday arraignment.
Between May 20 and 26 Vergennes police also operated three Click It or Ticket details, along with other county law enforcement agencies. On May 20 city police wrote five tickets for various offenses in Ferrisburgh, on May 22 they issued two tickets in Starksboro, on a rainy May 23 in Middlebury they warned one motorist, and on May 26 they ticketed nine drivers and warned a 10th on Route 22A and Route 17 East in Addison.
Police also operated three directed traffic patrols within city limits during those seven days, ticketing four motorists and warning a fifth.
In other incidents between May 20 and 26, city police:
On May 20:
•Cited Malik R. Wilder, 31, of Boston, Mass., for driving under the influence of drugs. Police stopped his car on West Main Street after a witness saw him driving while using a cellphone on Main Street.
•Stopped a car reported to being driven erratically on Route 7 and found no problem.
On May 21 began investigating a case of unlawful entry. Police said someone entered a Panton Road home and took printer cartridges and left a note.
On May 23 checked the welfare of a Walker Avenue resident; police said she was fine.
On May 24:
•Checked a report of an illegally parked car on Alden Place; it was gone when police arrived.
•Helped the FBI conduct a background check.
•Took a report that a resident’s VISA card had been hacked, but no loss had been incurred.
On May 25:
•Checked the welfare of a Hillside Drive resident, who was determined to be OK
•Notified the owner of a wallet that it had been found in Essex Junction, and Essex police had it.
•Notified the Department for Children and Families that a teenage girl had been involved in taking inappropriate Snapchat photos.