BRISTOL — Two men wielding baseball bats reportedly charged into Bristol’s Living Well assisted care home just after midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 29, and demanded drugs.
Bristol Police Chief Kevin Gibbs said the two suspects stole approximately 270 doses of narcotics. He described the suspects as white males, 19-20 years old, and  6 feet and 5-feet-9-inches tall, respectively. They wore ski masks, jeans and hooded sweatshirts.
The two men reportedly walked into Living Well, which was unlocked, and demanded the home’s supply of medication. The employee on duty at the Maple Street home, who was caring for a patient at the time and was not named by the Bristol police, conceded to their demands and was left unharmed.
The employee then called the police and Bristol officer Randy Crowe, assisted by the Vermont State Police and the Vergennes Police Department K-9 unit.
“The K-9 ran a trail west from (Living Well), but lost it near Liberty Street,” said Gibbs.
The Bristol police are offering $2,500 for information leading to the arrest of individuals involved in the robbery. The staff at Living Well said they would make security improvements. Gibbs explained that the home previously did not have a camera or alarm system and was left unlocked at night. The police will keep a close eye on the home over the ensuing months, as Gibbs said that drug burglars have a tendency to return to the same site.
This robbery, however, was not an isolated incident this past week, he said.
“We’re seeing an increase in burglaries,” said Gibbs.
In other recent activity, Bristol police:
•  Received a report of a bike stolen from Mount Abraham Union High School, where it was locked up overnight on Sept. 27. The bike is all black except for the rims and off-white lettering, and has an almost-broken white bottle holder.
•  Ticketed a Bristol female for running a stop sign on Sept. 27. Her car ran the stop sign and crashed into a fence on North Street across from Plank Road.
•  Received a report of a burglary at Emeraldrose Gift Shop on Main Street during the night of Sept. 29 or the early morning of Sept. 30. Someone reportedly entered through the back window and stole $60-$80 from the cash register.
•  Reported to Cubbers Restaurant on Main Street on Sept. 28, after a person heading into Rite Aid called about a young man with a white baseball cap being dragged from Cubbers. The man got away and headed back into Cubbers.
“Apparently nobody at Cubbers had any clue what we were talking about,” Gibbs said.
•  Assisted the Vermont Safety Council on Sept. 29 and 30 in conducting a demonstration at Mount Abe about safety measures while driving. Among the messages they were trying to get across was the dangers of text messaging while driving, which Gibbs pointed out is illegal in Vermont.
•  Looked into an attempted burglary at the town pump house on Sept. 30. The doorknob was broken off, but no access was gained.
•  Were told of a theft at a residence on West Street. The subject reported seeing two people he knows leaving his residence when he returned home. He then discovered his wallet and $100 cash were missing. The two subjects were named and identified, and police are following up.
•  Responded to a report of a possible home invasion off of Lower Meadow Lane on Oct. 1. A person allegedly walked into a family residence at 6:45 p.m. and was scared off by the family dog.
•  Assisted VSP on Oct. 1 with a domestic disturbance on Briggs Hill Road.