ADDISON COUNTY — This past Saturday night, May 25, Vermont State Police troopers from the New Haven barracks and New York State Police troopers participated in a cross-border DUI Checkpoint initiative to remove impaired drivers from the roadways of Vermont and New York and promote traffic safety. The checkpoints were held between 9 p.m. and midnight in the area of the Lake Champlain Bridge with Vermont troopers on the Addison side of the span and New York troopers on the Crown Point side.
The five Vermont and 10 New York police officers came in contact with 19 vehicles and 48 people on the Vermont side of the bridge (New York statistics were unavailable).
All occupants contacted by Vermont State Police were wearing seatbelts, VSP Lt. Jeffery Danoski said in a press release.
“These combined inter-agency details will continue in an effort to promote traffic safety and education on our highways/ reduce crashes/remove impaired drivers, promote seatbelt use, reduce speeding, and enforce aggressive and distracted driving violations,” said Danoski, the commander of the New Haven barracks.
•On May 21 at 11:13 p.m. stopped a motor vehicle Route 30 in Middlebury, detected indicators of impairment in the driver and cited Robert Fjeld, 24, of Middlebury for driving under the influence of drugs.
•On May 22 at just before 12:30 p.m. were notified of a dispute over ownership of a vehicle on Fern Lake Road in Leicester. While driving to the scene of the dispute state police were notified that Christopher Sumner, 37, of Panton took the vehicle without the owner’s consent. Police found Sumner at a home in Brandon, took him to the New Haven barracks for processing and released him with a citation for driving with a criminally suspended license and driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent. Brandon police assisted troopers.
•On May 24 at a little past 6 p.m. stopped a vehicle with an expired inspection sticker on Route 22A in Bridport. Police cited the driver, identified as Michael J. Perales, 21, of Salisbury, for driving with a criminally suspended license.
•On May 24 at 11:22 p.m., while conducting speed enforcement on Route 17 in West Addison, saw a westbound vehicle attempting to pass another vehicle. Police clocked the vehicle’s speed at 89 mph in a posted 50 mph zone, and said it continued into a sharp corner at speeds in excess of 80 mph despite very low visibility due to dense fog. Police cited Justin Gridlestone, 35, of Port Henry, N.Y., for careless and negligent driving.
•On May 26 at about a quarter to 9 p.m. caught sight of Kelly A. McEvoy, 48, of Vergennes driving on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh. Knowing that a warrant was out for McEvoy’s arrest, police stopped the vehicle, cited McEvoy for driving with a criminally suspended license and lodged her at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility with bail set at $500.