Barton - page 3

BARTON — An early morning crash in Barton this morning left a 25-year-old woman seriously injured.

Danielle Cochran, 25, of West Burke, was taken to North Country Hospital and later transferred to Dartmouth-Hitchcock to be treated for her injuries.

Police say they were notified at around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday morning that a vehicle was off the roadway in a ditch along US Route 5 in Barton, near Crystal Lake.

The investigation revealed Cochran was traveling north on US RT 5 and veered off of the roadway, crossing the oncoming lane of travel, and struck a culvert.

The crash caused her vehicle to come to rest on the driver’s side facing north.

Police have not yet said what the nature of her injuries are at this time.

Barton EMS along with Barton Fire Department assisted at the scene.

The vehicle, a 2006 GMC Envoy, was totaled in the crash.

BARTON — Authorities say that a fire that broke out in Barton on Thursday has been ruled suspicious.

The incident took place at around 10 a.m., at 158 Park Street. Police say that the building was owned by Luis and Stephanie Martinez.

The Barton Fire Department were the first to respond to the scene, where they discovered heavy smoke and fire coming from the building. The Orleans Fire Department was called in for mutual aid at that time.

Firefighters made their initial attack through a ground floor window. A secondary attack of the fire came from the second floor porch roof. The fire was quickly extinguished and no other adjacent properties were affected.

The structure sustained extensive heat and smoke damage to the first and second floor, and the first floor was also heavily damaged by water used to extinguish the fire. There was no one in the residence at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

The building was valued at roughly $50,000 and was a total loss.

The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, but has been ruled as suspicious. The case is currently still under investigation and anyone with information concerning this fire is encouraged to contact the State Police directly, or the Arson tip line at 1-800-322-7766.

The arson tip line offers rewards up to $5,000 for information concerning arson cases.

NEWPORT — A Williamstown man will serve up to six years in prison after being convicted on an aggravated assault charge which stems from an incident that took place in Barton last year.

Thomas Lussier Jr., 35, was in court last week, where he pleaded guilty to charges that he assaulted a 31-year-old Barton man on April 6, 2014.

According to an affidavit, Lussier was inside the foyer of the man’s Water Street apartment, when he began attacking him.

Witnesses told police that he hit the man at least twice, with one witness saying that he used a golf club or some type of stick in the attack. He split the man’s cheek open, eventually knocking him out.

Afterward, the victim did not remember what happened, only that Lussier had came at him.

Judge Howard VanBenthuysen ordered Lussier to serve one to six years in prison.

BARTON — A 29-year-old man from Barton is facing a felony unlawful trespassing charge after a weekend incident at a camp in Sheffield.

Police say that on Saturday evening they were dispatched to a report of an unlawful trespass at a seasonal camp on Old Duck Pond Road, in the town of Sheffield.

Several concerned camp owners in the area say they witnessed Brent Bapp, 29, of Barton, on the property and inside the dwelling. The property belongs to Bradley Johnson, 47, of Lakeville, Massachusetts.

The concerned citizens told police that they confronted Bapp, who eventually fled on foot.

Police say that he was located by troopers in Barton, where he was taken into custody.

He was processed, issued conditions of release and released on a citation to appear in Caledonia Criminal Court on August 18, 2015.

Police say that the investigation into this incident is ongoing and may lead to more arrests.

BARTON — The Barton Ambulance Squad, Northeast Kingdom Faith In Action, E.M. Brown, and the Barton Fire Department are teaming up again this year for another food drop.

This year’s food drop will take place on Thursday, June 25, starting at 12 p.m. at the Barton Fire Department, located on Main Street in Barton.

Volunteers will arrive at 10 a.m., ready to distribute over 10,000 pounds of food.

Organizers are advising everyone to bring a basket or a tote, and that disptibution will not start until noon, so no early bird specials.

Last year, the group gave away over 40,000 pounds of food. The events, hosted 3-4 times per year, draw large crowds, making it hard to find a place to park sometimes, with volunteers having to direct traffic.

“We expect to do the same or more this year,” Luke Willard, Captain of Barton Ambulance and the organizer of the food drop, said. “We expect to give away about 10,000 pounds in just a couple hours. We even deliver to a growing number of seniors and disabled who are unable to make it to the give away. The event is completely organized and manned by volunteers. We enjoy the opportunity to help folks out and we try very hard to make it as smooth as possible.”

If you have any questions about this years food drop, call Luke at Barton Ambulance at (802) 525-3637.

Below are scenes from last years event, distributing over 40,000 pounds of food:

BARTON — A Barton resident was the victim of a burglary last week.

Police are saying that Donna Perron, 61, reported that sometime between 6/11/15 and 6/12/15, someone entered her home and stole several items.

Included in the list of stolen items were, “priceless family jewelry, firearms, narcotic medication, and cash.”

The incident took place at 1965 South Barton Road.

According to a statement issued by police, the home was not locked at the time.

Anyone with information is being asked by police to contact VSP Derby Sgt. Jensen.

NEWPORT — On Wednesday, a 36-year-old man who was staying in Barton was ordered held without bail after pleading not-guilty to first degree aggravated domestic assault and three counts of violating conditions of release.

Greg Willis was in court to face the charges after being accused of attacking Eli Farrington, 41, of Barton, at his home located at 79 Porter Lane, in Barton, on Tuesday morning.

According to an affidavit filed by police, the two were arguing at the time about Willis’s wife, Kimberly Willis, the 34-year-old woman who was found dead two weeks ago in Albany.

The affidavit goes on to say that Farrington told police that Willis had attacked him with a pen, catching him in the head and face several times.

Police say that when they arrived on the scene of the altercation at around 12:50 a.m., they found blood inside Farrington’s home, as well as a broken pen. Farrington was also bleeding in several spots, including his chin, eyebrow, and near his ear.

Willis fled after the incident and could not be located when police arrived, but showed up at the State Police Barracks in St. Johnsbury later in the day. He was taken into custody for the assault and violation of conditions of release charges.

He told police that the assault was an accident, and that he was just trying to get Farrington to stop talking about his wife.

Willis was charged in December 2014 with assaulting his wife Kimberly Willis, a charge he pleaded not guilty to as well. That case remains open, and back in early May he had been released on conditions into the custody of Farrington.

Kimberly Willis’s death is still being investigated, but police have not named Greg Willis as a suspect in that case. Police are still waiting for the results of a toxicology test to come back before they can determine the cause of her death.

BARTON — An apartment on Hollow Road in Barton was broken into on Tuesday.

Police are reporting that the victim, Tom Boulanger, 46, of Barton, had numerous items taken during the robbery. The list includes:

One cordless Snap-On drill
One Makita saw
Two dvd players
Approximately 100 DVD movies
A 12 pack of beer

Boulanger told police that he noticed two sets of footprints in the snow coming from his apartment the day of the break-in. He described one as much smaller than the other, and believed one may have been from a female accomplice.

Police say the incident happened between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. They are requesting that anyone with information regarding the burglary to contact the State Police Derby Barracks.

BARTON — Police are reporting that a two-vehicle crash that took place in Barton on Sunday was triggered when someone walked into the roadway, causing the driver to lose control of his vehicle.

The accident took place on Maple Hill Road at around 12:30 p.m.

Police say that Alan Quintal, 27, of Barton, was headed north when he tried to stop after someone walked into the roadway. He lost control of his vehicle, crashing into the rear end of a truck that was parked in the northbound lane.

The truck was unoccupied at the time, and the owner ticketed for stopping, standing or parking in a restricted area.

Police report that there were no injuries, and list weather at the time as snowing, and road conditions as snow covered.

BARTON — A 42-year-old man from Barton was taken to the hospital after a single-vehicle accident on Roaring Brook Road in Barton on Sunday afternoon.

Mark Lacoss was treated for minor injuries after his car flipped over and hit a telephone pole after he swerved to miss a car he said came into his lane.

Vermont State Police responded to the crash at around 12:15 p.m. on Sunday. Lacoss advised them he was traveling east when another car came into his lane, causing him to swerve off the eastbound lane and into a ditch. His vehicle, a 2003 Honda Civic, flipped into a telephone pole, landing on the driver’s side.

According to a report issued by police, his car was totaled, “due to being crushed by a telephone pole to the roof and trunk.”

The report lists road conditions at the time of the accident as clear with patches of snow. The report also states that charges may be forthcoming when blood test results come back in the case.

BARTON — A 27-year-old man from Barton was tragically killed in a single-vehicle car accident that took place on Lake Region Road in Barton last night.

Police say that Corey Carpenter was traveling east on Lake Region Road at around 10 p.m. Wednesday, when he attempted to turn right, south, on US Route 5. The vehicle, a 2008 GMC Sierra pickup, continued east across both lanes of travel on Route 5, eventually colliding with several large trees.

Carpenter was transported to North Country Hospital by Orleans Ambulance, where he was pronounced dead as a result of the injuries he sustained in the crash.

The crash is under investigation. The Vermont State Police issued this statement:

“The crash remains under investigation, however, initial investigation indicates that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.”

Anyone with information, or may have witnessed the crash is being asked to contact the State Police in Derby at 802-334-8881.

HARTFORD — A 57-year-old man from Barton was transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center after he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in the Town of Hartford early yesterday morning.

Police are reporting that Scott Wilson was unresponsive when authorities arrived on the scene at around 6 a.m. Wilson’s vehicle was partially on the roadway, and police say it may have been sitting there since 4 a.m., before a call came in, initially reporting a disabled vehicle on Interstate 89, near mile marker 6.

Sergeant John Helfant of the Vermont State Police said in a statement that when he arrived he observed Wilson’s 2013 Ford F150 had been hit by another vehicle. The truck had right side damage from hitting guard rails and left rear bumper damage.

Sergeant Helfant also stated the vehicle that left the scene should have right front bumper damage and missing the right side mirror, with possible sliver paint marks near the damage transfered from Wilson’s truck.

Anyone who may have been traveling Interstate 89 south at mile marker 6 in the Town of Hartford that saw the disabled vehicle or a vehicle leaving that area, are being asked to call the Vermont State Police in Royalton at 802-234-9933.