VERGENNES — Vergennes police went to an Addison home on Feb. 20 to help Vermont State Police handle a report from a family member of an agitated elderly man said to be suffering from dementia who was wielding a loaded shotgun in his yard.
City police said as they arrived the man had calmed and put down the weapon, and he told VSP he had heard something outside his home and had taken the gun to investigate. City police said VSP then determined the man did not pose a threat to anyone’s safety.
Also between Feb. 17 and 23 Vergennes police ticketed six cars for violating the city’s wintertime ban on overnight parking on city streets, and during special traffic details ticketed three drivers and warned another; and they also:
On Feb. 17:
•  Backed up VSP while they recovered a stolen car from a Route 7 residence in Ferrisburgh.
•  Looked into a report from a passerby that someone might be using a flashlight to signal for help from a window of a Bowman Road home; police learned the light was a flickering candle.
On Feb. 18:
•  Investigated the theft of basketball shoes and an iPhone and related electronics from a Northlands Job Corps student.
•  Directed traffic while a car was towed on Main Street.
On Feb. 20:
•  Ticketed a truck driver for driving an overweight truck ($2,531) on Panton Road with an expired permit ($200).
•  Handled a minor two-car accident on South Water Street.
•  Helped family members calm an elderly man at the Aubuchon Plaza off Monkton Road.
On Feb. 21:
•  Helped the Vergennes Area Rescue Squad on Green Street.
•  Checked the welfare of a South Water Street resident, who was OK.
On Feb. 22:
•  Confirmed for a concerned parent that her daughter had checked into Valley Vista for treatment.
•  Checked out a report that a door of a vacant home on West Main Street was open and determined there was no problem.