THE BLOTTER

Police seniority

2007-01-12T10:49:00.001-05:00

In my story this week on the town government's 2008 budget proposal there's a section on the Stowe Police Department. After whacking over $25,000 from the police budget this week, one member of the Stowe Select Board raised the issue of cutting the full-time police force.

Any discussion about that will happen in executive session, behind closed doors, because they'd be talking about specific officers. Select board members said they'd prefer to do this, if at all, through officer retirements, as opposed to lay-offs.

Here's a breakdown of how long each the 11 officers has been at the police department, as outlined in the 2005 police union contract. I've updated the numbers for 2007:

• Ed Stewart - 30 years

• Ed Webster - 27 years

• Bruce Merriam - 22 years

• Steve Stewart - 22 years

• Chris McHugh - 17 years

• Bruce Emerson - 14 years

• David Knight - 9 years

• Loren Thresher - 9 years

• Chris Rogers - 9 years

• Fred Whitcomb - 7 years

• Michael Dougherty - 4 years

TOTAL: 170 years
AVERAGE PER OFFICER: 15.45 years

Stowe crime in 2006

2007-01-04T15:57:00.000-05:00

A cellular telephone is lost on the Stowe Recreation Path. A motorist is charged with drunken driving along Route 100. A loose dog wanders onto someone’s property and is impounded.

The Stowe Police Department handled these and many other incidents last year, 4,863 incidents in all. That’s an average of just over 13 incidents per day.

Most incident categories are at the same levels as in previous years, said Stowe Police Chief Ken Kaplan.

The most noticeable change in 2006 involved a handful of high-profile, “brazen” drug rings in the area, Kaplan said.

In November, Stowe police and officers from several other agencies raided a house off Sylvan Park Road in Stowe, arresting six people and seizing guns, cash and cocaine.

The presence of drug rings in the Stowe area has fueled other criminal activity, too.

“There are so many druggies running around now — heroin is so prevalent throughout the county,” Kaplan said. “A lot of little break-ins happen so they can sell it and get a hit of heroin.”

Here’s a look at some of the top incident categories of 2006, and how many local police responded to from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31:

• Animal problems: 394

• Lost or found property: 194

• Thefts: 190

• Car accidents: 188

• Frauds: 183

• DUIs: 98

• Vandalism: 43

• Burglaries: 34

• Possessing drugs: 34

• Fire calls: 30

• Assaults: 15

• Forgeries: 13

• Thefts (vehicles): 6

• Embezzlements: 4

• Lewd conduct: 3

Police also handle many service calls, such as house alarms, and complaints or questions from residents.

Police budget in brief

2006-12-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

It's the most expensive town department in Stowe. This year, the Stowe Police Department is proposing a $1.41 million budget for the fiscal 2008 year, up 5.5 percent over the current one. Like every other town department, police requests are being reviewed by the Stowe Select Board in preparation for Town Meeting.

Police, being the most expensive department, are sure to be scrutinized further in the coming months. A few highlights of the department's proposed budget:

Expenses

• The salary of Ken Kaplan, Stowe's police chief, goes from $71,704 to $76,366, up by 6.5 percent.
• Wages for the department's police officers goes from $542,276 to $568,568, up by 4.8 percent.
• Overtime pay for police goes from $82,912 to $93,737, up by 13 percent.
• Worker's compensation insurance goes from $26,222 to $42,004, up by 60 percent.
• Health insurance goes from $147,113 to $161,346, up by 9.6 percent.

Income

• Payment to supervise special events goes from $130,000 to $135,398, up 4.1 percent.
• Court fines goes from $30,000 to $34,946, up 16 percent.

Budget trends

• Since the budget for fiscal 2005 to the current one that's proposed, police spending has gone up 24.6 percent.
• Since the budget for fiscal 2005 to the current one that's proposed, police income has gone up 28.8 percent.

Tractor-trailor accident

2006-11-10T14:55:00.000-05:00

A big tractor-trailor truck carrying granite went off the road around 2 p.m. today (Friday) on Route 100 near the Ricketson Farm. I was just down there as police and fire officials swarmed the area. A chunk of the Route 100 guardrail is bent in half and traffic in backed up in both directions. The tractor-trailor is owned by Bellavance Transportation of Barre.

Not sure if there were any injuries in the accident; I did see an ambulance take off shortly after I got there. I'll have the details in the next Stowe Reporter. Avoid Route 100 if possible; police are diverting northbound traffic onto Stagecoach Road as a detour. Scanner reports are saying they're opening Route 100 up to one lane of traffic southbound.

Police Blotter (Oct. 31-Nov. 6)

2006-11-09T12:31:00.000-05:00

Stowe Police Statistics

Total incidents: 75
Total tickets: 16
Total warnings: 47

From recent reports:

Oct. 22, Krystle Ryder, 20, of Morrisville was charged with driving with a suspended license.
Oct. 31, Max Borsiczky of Stowe reported a cellular telephone lost in town.
Oct. 31, Troy Robinson of Stowe reported a wallet lost off North Road.
Nov. 1, a dog was impounded off Cemetery Road.
Nov. 1, 5 Star Video reported burglars had swiped $200 from the store’s cash register. Police said there were no signs of forced entry.
Nov. 1, Jeff Thompson of Stowe reported 10 political signs stolen from a lawn off North Marshall Road.
Nov. 1, a dog was impounded off Barnes Hill Road.
Nov. 2, Kevin Ericson of Wilmington reported fraudulent use of an ATM card.
Nov. 3, police said an assault involved two or three students at Stowe High School. No one was charged.
Nov. 3, Dianne Tanner, 48, of Marshfield was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Nov. 4, James Wheelock, 24, of Johnson was charged with disorderly conduct and transported for detoxification.
Nov. 5, Nicole Boilard of Maine reported a bracelet lost off Main Street.
Nov. 5, police responded to a report of a possible rabid raccoon off Mountain Road, near Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Police couldn’t find the animal.
Nov. 5, Dolorez Macy of Stowe reported a deck umbrella was stolen along Pleasant Street.
Nov. 5, police found a set of keys off South Main Street.
Nov. 6, police responded to a report of a possible rabid raccoon off Mountain Road. Police couldn’t find the animal.
Nov. 6, four 14-year-olds were charged with petit larceny and unlawful mischief. Two are from Stowe, the others from Wolfeboro, N.H., and Elmore.
Nov. 6, police shot a possible rabid raccoon off Park Street.
Nov. 6, police responded to a report of a possible rabid raccoon off Maple Street. Police couldn’t find the animal.
Nov. 6, Huntly Armbruster of Stowe reported a cellular telephone lost off Park Street.
Nov. 6, Jan Wadds of Stowe reported vandalism of a canopy off Mountain Road.
Nov. 7, Susan LeClair of Stowe reported a wallet lost off North Road.

Scanner traffic: A close encounter of the fox kind

2006-10-20T09:38:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in, well, almost a month. I've found that's the trouble with blogging "on the side" as a reporter -- there are periods when I just don't have the time (or don't make the extra time) to make sure I blog regularly.

That being said, here's a curious report I heard on the scanner last night: Local rescue and police were responding between 4:30-5 p.m. to a report of two people who had apparently been bitten by a fox. The fox encounter happened at the Trapp Family Lodge. It didn't sound like those bitten were in serious danger, but it goes to show what happens sometimes when human and animal meet. I'll probably follow up on this one in the police blotter for the coming week's newspaper.

On a related note, reporter Lisa McCormack takes a look this week at the prevalence of skunks in our area. The clincher comes at the end of a sidebar she wrote along with the story about her own recent encounter: "And Snuggles’ nose still smells skunky when she cuddles up with us in bed at night."

Police Blotter (Sept. 18-24)

2006-09-28T11:54:00.000-04:00

Stowe police statistics

Total incidents: 83
Total tickets: 16
Total warnings: 36

From recent reports:

Aug. 31, David Stafford, 28, of Stowe was charged with driving with a suspended license.
Sept. 4, Philip Morey, 38, of Morrisville was charged with home-improvement fraud.
Sept. 11, Lynn Pesaturo, 29, of Stowe was charged with possession of marijuana.
Sept. 13, Ryan Moriarty, 50, of Morrisville was charged with careless and negligent driving.
Sept. 18, Erik Mogensen of New York reported a cellular telephone was lost in Stowe.
Sept. 18, Kenneth Stoudt III, 27, of Pennsylvania was charged with home-improvement fraud. Police have requested an arrest warrant.
Sept. 19, Douglas Lefedbure, 48, of Stowe was transported for detoxification.
Sept. 19, Donald Landerwehrl of Stowe reported an iPod was stolen at Stowe High School.
Sept. 20, police found a wedding ring off Sunset Street.
Sept. 21, Lindsey Owen of Stowe reported a wallet was stolen at the Backyard Tavern.
Sept. 21, A.J.’s Ski and Sports reported the theft of a vest.
Sept. 22, Arnold Marek of Stowe reported vandalism of a "Tarrant/Senate" sign off Moscow Road.
Sept. 22, John Hodska of Stowe reported the theft of a "for sale by owner" sign.
Sept. 23, Patricia McKibben of Waterbury reported a baby stroller was lost on the Stowe Rec Path.
Sept. 23, a dog was impounded off Pucker Street.

Scanner traffic: drug overdose?

2006-09-22T14:37:00.000-04:00

Scanner reports came in this morning around 9:30 a.m. of an apparent drug overdose at Johnson State College. Morristown Rescue was being called to respond and transport the male, who was in a college dormitory room.

Police said this afternoon the male had been transported to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington. That's all that can be gleaned at the moment. I'll likely be following up with a report in next week's newspaper.

Sign crime

2006-09-22T12:48:00.000-04:00

I saw an unfortunately visible act of vandalism on my way into Stowe this morning. One of two Rich Tarrant campaign signs -- placed in the center of a field abutting Route 100 -- had been "modified."

The "Tarrant/Senate" sign had been spray-painted to say "Tyrant/ Senate." Ouch. No doubt, Tarrant campaign folks were none too pleased to see that. I can't help but wonder if the vandalism came in response to an article I wrote this week, "What's your sign," for our Scene feature. In it, I feature two people in Stowe who put up campaign signs along their front yard. The article also featured the Tarrant signs in question (which, at the time I photographed them Tuesday morning, were unspoiled).

This incident isn't unique, though. I've heard of the Tarrant/Tyrant vandalism at other locations around the state.

It's too bad that happened here. Regardless of whether you agree or not with a candidate's views -- or their signs, for that matter -- it's still wrong to vandalize someone else's property. Period. We may learn next week if police know who was responsible.

Scanner traffic: Don't light the grass on fire

2006-09-08T14:52:00.000-04:00

Just heard a report at 2:43 p.m. over the scanner to Morristown Rescue: The grass is on fire.

Seems someone driving a bulldozer took a spill on Children's Village Road in Morristown, and wires/ cables of some kind were knocked over, too, torching the adjacent grass.

Five minutes later comes an update: The operator is out of the machine, there are no injuries, and the "grass fires seem to be under control."

In under the wire

2006-09-08T14:37:00.000-04:00

A little footnote on the police blotter this week: It barely made the presses.

Typically, I'll stroll (or drive) down to the Stowe Police Station on Monday morning for an hour sit-down with Police Chief Ken Kaplan to go over the last week's police reports. It's a good way to start out the day. Stowe Police (I'd link here to their Web site, but they don't have one) are located about a half-mile away from our office here on 49 School Street.

Well, Monday was Labor Day, so the station was closed. I called Tuesday, and discovered that the chief wasn't in this week. He was -- drum roll -- on vacation! So, I tried to find someone else who could make it happen.

Late Wednesday morning (the day we go to press) I found my man, officer Darron Tabor. He saved the police blotter for this week's paper. Without his last-minute heriocs, most reader's probably wouldn't have known by Thursday that police had found Armitron watch in the bushes off Covered Bridge Road, or that the Depot Street Malt Shop reported a skunk had found its way into a closet.

Can you smell that smell?

Police Blotter: Aug. 28-Sept. 3

2006-09-08T14:35:00.000-04:00

Stowe police statistics

Total incidents: 92
Total tickets: 17
Total warnings: 69

From recent reports:

Aug. 26, Joshua Thomas, 26, of Stowe was charged with petit larceny.
Aug. 28, Biddle Duke of Stowe reported attempted fraudulent use of a credit card.
Aug. 28, Michael Allen Meacham of Stowe reported an apartment off South Main Street was broken into and $275 was stolen.
Aug. 29, Alfred Leikert, 67, of Morrisville was charged with burglary, unlawful trespass and unlawful mischief.
Aug. 29, Garaldine Sweterlitsch of Craftsbury reported a crucifix was lost in Stowe.
Aug. 30, Mylene Ravary of Quebec reported a car was broken into and its windows smashed in Stowe.
Aug. 30, Miriam Donald of New York reported a wallet was lost in Stowe.
Aug. 31, police found an Armitron watch in the bushes off Covered Bridge Road.
Aug. 31, two dogs were impounded off River Road.
Aug. 31, David Stafford, 28, address unknown, was charged with driving with a suspended license.
Sept. 1, the Depot Street Malt Shop reported a skunk had found its way into a closet. Animal-control removed it.
Sept. 1, police found an iPod at Stowe Elementary School.
Sept. 1, the Pines Motel reported someone left without paying for a room and stole bedsheets and pillows valued at $40.
Sept. 2, Kelly Fossiano, 28, of Morrisville was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Sept. 2, police found a broken rifle in a Dumpster off South Main Street.
Sept. 3, Jennifer Guazzoni, 25, of Stowe was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Sept. 3, James Canino, 23, of Massachusetts was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of narcotic drugs.

Police Blotter: Aug. 21-27

2006-09-01T08:40:00.000-04:00

Stowe police statistics

Total incidents: 110
Total tickets: 15
Total warnings: 26

From recent reports:

Aug. 21, Charles Brunner of New Jersey reported $800 worth of items stolen from a car parked off Mountain Road.
Aug. 21, John Clifford of Massachusetts and Luther Elder of Georgia both reported car windows were smashed off Mountain Road.
Aug. 21, Stowe Mountain Resort reported the theft of 25 gallons of diesel fuel from a construction site at Spruce Peak.
Aug. 21, Stefanie Guttenberger of Pennsylvania reported $2,100 worth of items stolen from a car parked off Mountain Road.
Aug. 22, Mac’s Market reported the receipt of a $78 bad check.
Aug. 22, Diane Carter, 52, of Lowell was charged with 282 counts of embezzlement. Police are still investigating.
Aug. 23, a dog was impounded off Mountain Road.
Aug. 24, Jesse Sanguedolce, 26, of Waterbury was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Aug. 24, Matthew Fogel of Stowe reported two hubcaps were missing from a pickup truck.
Aug. 25, Diane Smith of Stowe reported a house was burglarized and work documents were stolen.
Aug. 25, the Stowe town government reported the theft of pedestrian crosswalk signs on Maple Street.
Aug. 25, police found a pair of keys on the Stowe Recreation Path.
Aug. 25, the Grey Fox Inn reported an 83-pound subwoofer was stolen from a room.
Aug. 27, Steven Manosh, 48, of Morrisville was charged with driving under the influence of al

The Essex shooting spree

2006-08-25T12:28:00.000-04:00

Everyone's shocked by the tragedy that unfolded yesterday afternoon in Essex. A 26-year-old man, scheduled to be arraigned on murder and attempted murder charges in about ten minutes, is accused of going on a shooting spree, killing two and wounding two others. The shootings, police said, happened in homes and the town elementary school. This, four days before the start of a new school year.

And it's been rather stunning to see the narrative unfold, largely online in the last 24 hours, with the Burlington Free Press's coverage. The daily paper has posted over a dozen updates today and over 30 since first reports of the shootings started trickling in on the police scanner. The latest mini-update says that the suspect, Christopher Williams, 26, of Essex has a "rather extensive” criminal record in Massachusetts. I don't know about anyone else, but this is the first time I've seen the Free Press or any other paper for that matter post so many updates on a single story over the course of a day.

Certainly, it's a big deal and the paper seems to have thrown at least seven reporters at it, contributing in some way.

Meantime, this paper is — as I'm sure are others — trying to think of appropriate ways of localizing the story. It's the question that pops into most of our minds when something like this happens: Could it happen here, and if so, what would we do about it?

Behind the Bertnapping

2006-08-17T09:52:00.000-04:00

Here's the follow up on the crime story snippet from the other day. As some locals might have guessed, the story's about last week's "Bertnapping." A couple from Connecticut happened to see Bert the cat — a well known denizen of the village — standing by the side of the road in the rain, without his collar on. They took him into their car, thinking he was a stray. Oops.

You can read about the harrowing tale in this week's Stowe Reporter. I thought it would be interesting, though, to include more from Elizabeth Rankin's police report about the case. Here's a good chunk of it:

Gregory Poulin (DOB 1-29-77) called saying he witnessed Carolyn Andrews' cat, Bert, be taken off the side of the crosswalk across from Stafford's General Store on Main Street last night between 1930 and 2000 hours. He said a dark gray or silver wagon or small SUV, like a Honda CRV, was parked on the side of the road. The front seat passenger, who he described as an older man, got out and picked up the cat and then the car drove away. Poulin said he ran after the man to tell him the cat was not a stray but the car drove off toward Morrisville.

Poulin was unable to get a license plate number or state, saying it was right before the storm last night and it was already dark. He also mentioned that the cat did not seem to be moving or struggling but it was dark, he wasn't sure if they had hit Bert or not and that was why they took him. I asked Poulin if he could see the driver or could describe the man, but said it happened so fast that he wasn't sure. He had told Andrews about the incident and she left him a note this morning to call the police.

Bert and his brother, Ernie, are well known cats on Main Street, are very friendly, and cross the street at the crosswalk. Both normally wear collars with name tags but at the time Bert was not.

... At 1640 hours I went into the Lackey's General Store on Main Street and found Lee (DOB 2-16-33) and Walter (6-28-32) Dietzer talking with the clerk about Bert. The couple had seen Bert on the side of the road during the rain storm last night and picked him up, concerned for his welfare. They thought he was a stray since he did not have a collar but realized that he must of been owned by someone since he was so fat. They came back to the General Store this afternoon to ask about the owner and that is when I got to talk with them. Bert did have a lipstick stain on his left shoulder but seemed very well cared for. The clerk at the General Store offered to hold Bert until Andrews came home from work. The clerk and I both left messages for her on her voice mail.

Cased closed.

Crime story snippet

2006-08-15T15:17:00.000-04:00

Well, I never did catch the follow-up reply on the scanner about that loose cow on Weeks Hill Road. Oh well, moo-ving onto other animal-related things...

In this Thursday's paper you'll find a story about an "adbuction" in Stowe. Here's a snippet of the lede:

Kidnappings are big deals in rural communities. In Stowe, that goes for human and animal alike.

Last week, a witness dialed the Stowe Police Department as soon as he saw it happen Monday, Aug. 7: A man snatched up XXXXXXXXXX and drove off in a shady vehicle.

Stay tuned for the rest Thursday, plus a some more on the police report itself than what's included in the story. It's a hair-raising tale.

Scanner traffic: Holy cow

2006-08-14T14:32:00.000-04:00

Just heard on the scanner (about 2:20 p.m.) that there's a cow on the loose off Weeks Hill Road. Wonder how long it will take to round the bovine up? I'll keep you posted...

Flash attack

2006-08-10T15:57:00.000-04:00

Seems some folks just can't help themselves.

Stowe Police said Monday they received a report of a man who exposed himself in front of a pair of women who were sunbathing in the Cottonbrook area of town. The man ran off into the woods from whence we came after the women started screaming. Yikes.

The man is described as white, in his mid-30s, with reddish, light brown hair and a goatee.

If you see the mystery flasher Stowe police would like to hear from you. Exposing yourself in public like that is against is the law, and the man could be charged with lewd and lascivious conduct if he's caught.

Stowe Police: 253-7126

July by the numbers

2006-08-07T11:20:00.000-04:00

Each week with the blotter I include a tally of statistics: total incidents, tickets, and warnings, as recorded by the Stowe Police Department. Here's most of July by the numbers:

(July 3-30)

• Total incidents: 421
• Total tickets: 62
• Total warnings: 118

On average, that's roughly two tickets, four warnings, and 14 incidents, per day.

Writing, and blogging, a crime story

2006-08-03T11:52:00.000-04:00

I was reminded this week of the care I must take whenever reporting on crime, especially those that include allegations of sexual assault. The story concerns a Stowe man who's accused of beating and molesting a 12-year-old girl.

My primary source for reporting on these allegations are court documents. Every week I drive down to the Hyde Park Court House and review recent arraignments and dispositions. In this case, the man was arraigned on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and first-degree aggravated domestic assault, both felonies. The man pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The case has a docket that includes information on the arraignment, conditions of release, and a police affidavit outlining the allegations. The latter document is my main source for reporting; it contains a police account of what allegedly happened, and it goes into great detail. Thus arises the question: how much detail do I include? There are descriptions in the affidavit everybody can agree are inappropriate for publication and there are others that people may disagree on.

When it comes allegations of sexual assault, and in this case a minor under 18, protecting the victim's identity is paramount. At the same time, there's a balance I need to strike between giving readers fair picture of the allegations and preserving anonymity for the victim.

As a starting point, I'll take detailed notes on the police affidavit — in many cases, much more detailed than I anticipate printing. That's because, in my mind, the process of reporting involves two general steps: gathering all the information I can, and then disseminating that information.

The finished story is hopefully one that informs the public, yet treats the people involved fairly. Not everyone agrees on those standards. It is a continual conversation among our news staff.

What I find interesting is the question of how weblogs will fit into this equation. Many blogs contain original reporting, and many bloggers are not "trained" journalists — that is, they don't get paid for the work. But bloggers, too, are disseminators of information, and they, too, must decide what information gets published for public viewing.

When it comes to crime, I wonder whether bloggers will test the waters. A police affidavit filed with the court, for example, is a public document, presumably available for viewing for anyone who asks. In an age of web publishing, the issues of privacy vs. public magnify with a larger audience. Some blogs, such as The Safe City, a self-described "criminal justice system watchdog," contain links to crime stories across the nation and compile crime-related statistics. Others, such as The Blotter at the Spokesman-Review, post mainly about calls that come in on the police scanner. Here's an interesting one: Baltimore Crime, a "digest of crime in Baltimore City, Maryland." The blogger doesn't appear to be a reporter (his poll says "If I ran the papers...", and he basically links and summarizes crime stories. Here, the The Boston Police Department has its own blog with updates on incidents. Wow. I doubt you'd see something like that locally. Stowe Police would need to put up their own Web site first; now, all that's available is this general emergency services page.

*UPDATE*

I posted a couple of questions over at the Baltimore Crime blog and just got an interesting response:

Me:

Taotechuck,
I just started a crime blog in my area and so I'm interested in this one. A couple questions: How did you create the poll on the right? Do you have any experience in journalism, or are you just interested in crime and public-safety? Have you run into any problems in blogging about crime? Thanks very much.

- Scott Monroe

taotechuck said...

Scott,

I cover the site when the main person is away, so unfortunately I'm limited in offering advice on things like the poll.

I grew up around journalists and studied journalism but I've never worked as a journalist. I became interested in crime and public safety after five people were shot in front of my house (three fatally) in the first year that I owned it.

I haven't run into any problems, but I assume it's inevitable. I'm still working to find an effective way to write about murder on one of my other sites (www.murderland.org), and what I've found in Baltimore is that most people are genuinely appreciative when someone bothers to take the time to write about their dead father / brother / son / nephew / uncle. The newspapers and TV here aren't always diligent (that's me being nice) in covering murders in our fair city.

Police Blotter: July 24-30

2006-08-02T18:41:00.000-04:00

Stowe Police Statistics

Total incidents: 112
Total tickets: 10
Total warnings: 20

From recent reports:

July 24, Stowe Mountain Resort reported someone smashed a van’s window and stole a saw.
July 25, mailboxes were vandalized along Moscow Road.
July 25, Eric Lande of Morrisville reported money stolen from a locker at the Stowe Gym.
July 25, Cristian Sola of Buenos Aires reported a missing passport in Stowe.
July 26, Robin Unruh reported a wallet was lost off Mountain Road.
July 26, a dog was impounded off Pinnacle Road.
July 26, the Pizza Joint reported money stolen from its registers — $82 cash and $45 in pennies.
July 28, Joe Santanna of Stowe reported keys were missing.
July 28, a dog was impounded off Mountain Road.
July 28, Zachary Lewis, 18, address unknown, was charged with unlawful mischief and disorderly conduct.
July 28, Scott Gowen, age unknown, of Morrisville was charged with uttering a forged instrument.
July 28, Bruce Godin of Stowe reported a pager was missing at the Stowe Recreation Fields.
July 29, Jessica Chace of Jericho reported a purse was stolen from a locker at the Swimming Hole.
July 29, a dog was impounded off Pinnacle Road.
July 30, Hillary Giaconomelli of Stowe reported several items stolen from a car — an ipod, wallet, cash and credit cards, and a cellular telephone.

A shocking story

2006-07-26T15:15:00.000-04:00

A cheap pun, I know, but how often do you get to report on police purchasing stun guns for the whole department? In Stowe, not very often.

In this week's Stowe Reporter I have a story on police getting four more Tasers, a particular brand of stun gun. Now, the department will have 14 in all.

After filing my story I took a trip down to the station off South Main Street for picture of the Taser and Officer Chris McHugh, who gave an electrifying demonstration. You gotta be careful with these things. Turns out most officers who used the stun guns take a zap themselves so they know just what they're dishing out. It's great way to freeze unruly people in their tracks if they attack officers or resist arrest, police say.

Still, there's controversy surrounding the use of Tasers. Some news reports, such as from CBS News two years ago, investigates the "Taser danger," concluding that 70 people at the time had died after being "TASERed." The company Taser "asserts every one of these victims died of something else," while critics think "the company has not done enough research to know that with certainty."

A similar debate went on years ago when mace spray was introduced, McHugh told me this morning, and he thinks this controversy, too, will fizzle eventually.

So far, Stowe police say they've TASERed three people.

Police Blotter: July 17-23

2006-07-26T15:14:00.000-04:00

Stowe police statistics

Total incidents: 101
Total tickets: 14
Total warnings: 23

From recent reports:

July 17, Louis Marsh, 33, of Eden Mills was arrested on a warrant and charged with driving with a suspended license.
July 17, Michael Porcelli, 30, of Morrisville was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, careless and negligent driving, attempting to elude police, and resisting arrest.
July 18, a dog was impounded off Grey Birch Road.
July 19, Stowe Country Club reported the theft of a food and beverage cart, which was found later in a ravine.
July 19, Pamela Christopher of Stowe reported the burglary of a house. Police said burglars forced their way into the house and ransacked the inside, but nothing appeared to be stolen.
July 20, police found a cellular telephone off Cottonbrook Road.
July 20, three dogs were impounded — two off Mountain Road and another off Pinnacle Road.
July 20, Monica Tartsanyi of Stowe reported the theft of $2,000 from a room off South Main Street.
July 21, Louise Koper of Stowe reported the burglary of a house. Police said burglars likely entered from the garage and ransacked the inside, but nothing appeared to be stolen.
July 22, Zachary Sigler, 26, of Stowe was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
July 23, two dogs were impounded off River Road.
July 23, Lynn McGuigan, 40, of Montreal was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
July 23, Scott Hankin of Massachusetts reported a missing money clip with $400 in Stowe.
July 23, David Hine of Arizona reported a missing passport and green card in Stowe.

First post

2006-07-21T17:03:00.000-04:00

Here's the first post for The Blotter. Exciting, eh?

For starters, here's this past week's Police Blotter:

Police Blotter

Stowe Police Statistics (July 10-16)

Total incidents: 99
Total tickets: 6
Total warnings: 22

From recent reports:

June 17, Christopher Lyon, 28, of Johnson was charged with possession of narcotic drugs.
July 8, Izak Riordan, 19, of Rutland was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license and illegal possession of alcohol.
July 10, police found a syringe near the town recreation building off Park Street.
July 10, Alvah Ruggles of Barton reported losing a bag in Stowe containing a cellular telephone and camera.
July 10, Jon Dubick, 38, of Stowe was charged with violating an abuse prevention order. (On July 11, Dubick was charged with two counts of violating a restraining order.)
July 11, Jessica Crosby of Burlington reported losing a money clip off Cape Cod Road.
July 11, Kara Kidder of Morrisville reported losing a wallet off Weeks Hill Road.
July 11, Elias Audy of Morrisville reported theft of a wallet from a car parked off Mountain Road.
July 12, Sarah Davinchi of Burlington reported losing a cellular telephone off South Main Street.
July 12, Jason Cannon, 24, of Winooski was arrested on an outstanding warrant.
July 14, Penny Dye of California reported losing a gold ring with pearls off Church Hill Lane.
July 15, the Innsbrook Inn reported a possible telephone scam. Police are investigating.
July 15, Robin Cote of Morrisville reported losing a purse containing credit cards and a cellular telephone off Mountain Road.
July 15, John Mika, 19, of Stowe was charged with illegal possession of alcohol.
July 16, Ryan Cooley of Stowe reported losing a cellular telephone off Mountain Road.
July 16, Leonard Gorski of Quebec reported vandalism at a condominium unit off Notchbrook Road.
July 17, Curtis Bates of Maine reported theft of a satellite radio and wallet from a car parked off Mountain Road.
July 17, Christopher Foran of Massachusetts reported losing keys off Cottonbrook Road.