Newport - page 3

NEWPORT — Newport Police say they’ve charged a man with allegedly stealing more than $48,000 from an elderly woman over a period of four years.

Eric Brigham, 52, of Williamstown, was charged with one count of financial exploitation.

According to police, back in October, a private investigator working for an 84-year-old woman notified police that her relative had been taking advantage of her by abusing his power of attorney.

An investigation was launched and police say they learned that Brigham had been given power of attorney of the woman’s affairs in June 2014.

In December of 2014, he allegedly began writing checks out of the victim’s account without her permission and in February 2015, he obtained checks that had both his name and the victim’s name on them under her account.

According to investigators, he used checks and a debit card to withdraw thousands of dollars in funds from the victim’s bank accounts on a regular basis over the course of four years.

Police say he wrote out checks to himself for cash or wrote them out under the victim’s name, but rarely gave the victim any of her own money and rarely visited her in the nursing home.

In total, Brigham is alleged to have stolen $48,149.11 from the victim and left her with several delinquent credit card bills and more than $20,000 in debt to her nursing home.

“I want to credit Officer Nicholas Rivers who investigated this complex case and was able to determine the extent of Mr. Brigham’s alleged fraud and deceit against his own relative,” Newport Police Chief DiSanto said. “Fortunately, Officer Rivers was able to follow the paper trail left by the suspect which gave us the evidence we needed to charge him.”

NEWPORT — An early morning fire destroyed a two-story duplex in Newport.

At approximately 5:56 a.m. the Newport City Fire Department was notified of a structure fire with occupants trapped inside at 48 Pond Street.

This home was owned by 46-year-old Clarence Breault, who lived on one side, while his sister, Rose Breault, lived on the other.

Due to the close proximity of neighboring homes, firefighters quickly began suppressing the fire from spreading to any other nearby structures.

Once the blaze was under control, Newport City Fire Chief James LeClair assessed the scene and contacted the Department of Public Safety Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit for assistance with the origin and cause determination.

Investigators say they responded to the scene and confirmed Chief LeClair’s determination that the fire originated in the basement near a large wood stove or boiler.

Authorities say the fire started in the ceiling area of the basement directly above the wood stove.

“The clearance from the wood stove to the ceiling joists and the floor above was incredibly close to the hot wood stove and after years of heating by the wood stove, the combustible wood material finally caught fire,” Detective Sergeant Todd Ambroz said.

The homeowner had stoked the wood stove in the basement at approximately 3:00 a.m. At 4:30 a.m. he began to smell smoke inside the house.

At some point between 5:15 and 5:30 a.m. Breault discovered the ceiling area above the wood stove in the basement was on fire.

He attempted to extinguish the fire himself by using a garden hose, but the fire spread quickly.

The home is considered a total loss.

According to authorities, the fire is currently classified as accidental.

NEWPORT — A 30-year-old man from Newport was arrested early this morning after police say he was intoxicated when he crashed head-on into a plow truck.

At around 12:30 a.m. police were notified of the crash that took place on Coburn Hill Road in Newport.

According to the report, a Vermont AOT plow truck was responding to the area to treat the roadway.

The plow truck driver told police he observed a vehicle traveling toward him in his travel lane.

Police say the truck moved as far to the right as possible and came to a complete stop, but the vehicle crashed head-on into the truck.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Raymond Paquin.

During the investigation, police say Paquin was taken into custody and transported to Derby, where he was processed for his second DUI.

He was then transported to Northern State Correctional Facility where he was sent for detox.

There were no reported injuries in the crash.

NEWPORT — The Newport City Promise Community Early Care and Learning Center has opened.

An open house and ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Monday.

The new center is a licensed quality preschool/childcare center that serves children from 6 weeks to 5-years-old.

The center is located in the United Church of Newport, on 3rd Street.

The credentialed teaching staff provides programs that include a focus on school readiness skills, creative curriculum, nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, environments filled with age-appropriate learning and exploration, as well as general fun for kids.

The program also has a low child to teacher ratio, allowing for individual attention for each child.

The program is open all day, year round.

NEWPORT — A woman from Newport Center was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center after a two-vehicle crash this morning.

Police and rescue workers were notified at around 7:30 a.m. of an incident at the intersection of VT Route 105 and the Buzzell Road in Newport Center.

Renee Grimes, 50, of Newport Center, was transported to North Country Hospital, and later to Dartmouth-Hitchcock for what police describe as “serious injuries.”

Ralph Lee, 61, also of Newport Center, was taken to North Country hospital to be treated for injuries.

According to the report, the Jaws of Life were needed to free one victim who was left trapped in the wreckage.

Police say Grimes was exiting Buzzell Road and did not see Lee, who was pulling onto VT Route 105.

Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors in this crash.

NEWPORT — There will be a community-wide meeting held this Thursday to bring forth issues facing local businesses.

The meeting is being put on by the ReNewport: Supporting Businesses and Entrepreneurs task force.

The meeting will be held on November 1, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the North Country Career Center.

Recently the task force undertook a business development survey in the greater Newport to identify important opportunities and needs the local economy must focus on to be successful in the future.

The survey found that broadband, access to capital, as well as cross-border marketing were the top three issues businesses care about most.

Financing and cross-border marketing will be the main topics for the meeting, with experts in the field from across the state present to discuss these issues.

Broadband will also be presented and discussed, however, there is currently a larger meeting specifically on that topic being planned by NVDA for early December.

All business and community members are encouraged and welcome to attend.

NEWPORT — Last week, Orleans County Sheriff Kirk Martin was invited to the Conference of Intergovernmental Affairs in Washington, D.C., as one of the elected officials chosen from Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

On Tuesday, Sheriff Martin visited the White House alongside other state and local leaders.

With speakers from several federal agencies, the focus was on the biggest issues facing the country and what can be done at the local level to work toward solutions.

Sheriff Martin expressed that the opiate epidemic was among the key issues.

“It was emphasized that there should be a larger focus on treatment and education,” said Martin. “A solution to these issues starts with educating our community from a young age in hopes of stopping the problem before it becomes one,” he added.

Martin added that other topics included funds for initiatives dedicated to improving highway safety and the importance of providing mental health and medical treatment to veterans within our communities.

The aim of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs is to open lines of communication between federal agencies to build and maintain with officials at the state and the local levels.

Speakers included representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Education, Office of National Drug Control Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

NEWPORT — The Newport Police Department arrested two men after they allegedly broke into the Northern Star late Saturday afternoon.

Keith Sylvester, 29, and Justin Roy, 23, of Newport, were each arrested and charged with unlawful mischief, resisting arrest, and burglary.

On Saturday, at around 4:30 p.m., officers responded to the docked boat for a report of two unknown individuals on board.

Upon arrival, officers boarded the Northern Star and could hear the sound of glass breaking below deck.

Police located the two suspects, who allegedly began to flee when ordered to stop.

Both suspects attempted to jump off the boat, but Roy fell into the water while officers took Sylvester into custody.

Roy was pulled from the water and arrested as well.

According to police, the men had allegedly broken onto the boat to smoke marijuana and ended up vandalizing the interior with a hammer while on board.

Police say they located a bag of marijuana floating in the lake near Roy and also seized a small amount of marijuana from Sylvester.

Upon further investigation, officers determined that several dishes, a surveillance camera and other items inside the boat with an estimated value over $1,000 were damaged.

Both are currently being held on $5,000 bail pending their arraignment.

NEWPORT — The City of Newport is seeking new resident and non-resident members for the Newport Recreation Committee.

The group works closely with the Parks & Recreation Department and serves as an advisory board to the Newport City Council on issues pertaining to parks and recreation in Newport.

The committee assumes a major role in developing a sense of community and enhancing the quality of life in our area by influencing the recreational future of Newport.

Members should be deeply interested in local youth and family activities, special events, sports or park facilities.

Formal education is not necessary, but some demonstrated experience, volunteerism, participation or involvement in parks and recreation programs, projects or planning is preferred.

All interested applicants must submit a brief letter of interest outlining their experience, qualifications and desire to obtain a seat on the Committee.

By giving an hour of your time once monthly, you can make a huge contribution to the community and the children and families who live here.

This is a great way to share your input and help steer the future of the City of Newport.

The Newport Recreation Committee consists of 5-9 members, of which the majority must be Newport City residents.

Members are appointed by the Newport City Council annually for two-year staggered terms.

This is a volunteer group and no members will be compensated for their committee time.

The Recreation Committee meets monthly on the second Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the Newport Municipal Building, 222 Main Street.

Onsite childcare during meetings will be available if needed.

Inquiries and letters of interest can be emailed or submitted by Monday 10/22/18 to:

Jessica Booth, Director of Parks & Recreation:

City of Newport
222 Main Street
Newport, VT 05855

NEWPORT — More than $1.2 million has been raised for a seven-mile, car-free waterfront recreation path that connects downtown Newport to the Canadian border and beyond.

The Waterfront Recreational Path and Lake Access Project began with the development of a walking path and dock along the downtown Newport Waterfront Plaza, which opened in spring 2018.

This new path linked to the existing path along Newport’s downtown boardwalk, forming a beautiful crescent of lakefront recreational land on Lake Memphremagog’s south shore.

The goal was to expand recreational activities along the lakefront by linking segments of existing trails along the waterfront and constructing some new trails.

The project will connect downtown to the existing Beebe Spur Rail trail, which leads to the Canadian border and a network of trails in Canada.

With $1.2 million raised for Phase II of the project, the Vermont Land Trust will begin to permit and then construct a connection between Prouty Beach and Bluffside Farm.

In late December 2015, the land trust purchased Bluffside Farm, which had been owned by one family since 1906.

The farm has nearly a mile of lakeside frontage. More than half of the frontage is on Scott’s Cove, directly across from Newport City’s Prouty Beach.

Pilings are still present from a bridge that formerly connected the two properties.

The Vermont Land Trust says they will build a new bridge across the cove as part of the trail construction.

This new feature is expected to be a draw for locals and tourists.

“Despite the fact that Newport is nearly surrounded by water, there is surprisingly little public access to the lake,” said Tracy Zschau, conservation director for the Vermont Land Trust.

Given the future trail’s benefits to the community, the Vermont Land Trust has secured several large grants, including $425,000 from the Northern Border Regional Commission.

“This is an ambitious project, being able to raise the money was critical,” explained Tracy.

“This will be a wonderful new asset for the City that came from a community engagement process,” said Newport City Manager Laura Dolgin. “The trail and access to the lake preserves our cultural roots and provides a path to the future of our recreational economy.”