NEW HAVEN — A woman suffering from a mental health crisis in New Haven was brought to safety thanks to the quick response of the Vergennes Police Department.
The Vermont State Police requested assistance with a female who was walking up the center of the road on US Route 7 in New Haven yesterday at around 9:15 a.m.
There were no troopers in the immediate vicinity at the time, so Sergeant Jason Ouellette and Officer Mark Barber from the Vergennes Police Department responded to the scene.
Sergeant Ouellette arrived at the scene first and found the female walking in the middle of the road with traffic passing on either side of her.
The female was experiencing an extreme mental health crisis, had fought with her caregiver, exited the caregiver’s vehicle, and was walking up the center of US Route 7.
Ouellette quickly grabbed the female, subsequently controlled her, and safely brought her to the side of the road to prevent her from being struck by a moving vehicle.
Police stayed with her until the Middlebury Rescue Squad arrived to transport her to UVM/Porter.
The quick actions by Ouellette and Officer Barber undoubtedly saved this woman’s life.
SGT Ouellette’s extensive background in non-lethal use of force techniques enabled him to quickly gain control and bring the situation to a safe conclusion, without anyone sustaining injury.
“This is just another excellent example of the professionalism, solid decision-making, and empathy our officers display on a regular basis,” Chief Merkel said. “Kudos to all the officers who responded to this call as well as to the emergency dispatcher, Laura Moulton, who directed us to the call.
