Orleans - page 3

ORLEANS — Police are saying that the man accused of vandalizing a church in Orleans has denied deliberately setting a small fire inside the building, and that fire investigators are still unable to determine if the fire was set deliberately or not.

On December 14, Justin Roy, 20, of Orleans, was arrested after police responded to a report of a fire at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church on East Street. During the vandalism a tablecloth had been set on fire, causing damage to a wood panel. The fire was quickly extinguished.

Today, fire investigators opened an investigation trying to determine if the fire was set, or possibly accidental. Police say Roy, after being arrested for burglary and vandalism, denied deliberately setting the fire.
 
Investigators say the suspect had previously wrapped a knife with a cloth, lit it on fire and used it as a light source while inside the church. They say he used the torch until some candles were located as a source of light.

The tablecloth that burned the wall was ignited from the bottom, and burned upward towards the top of the table. Investigators say no evidence of an ignition source was located at or near the fire.

Detective Sergeant Larry Smith says he believes the ignition source was probably from a lighter or candle, but that no remnants of the candle was found in the area to indicate an accidental ignition.

The source of the fire is still undetermined.

On Tuesday, Roy pled not guilty to charges of burglary, unlawful mischief, and unlawful trespass.

ORLEANS — An Orleans man is facing numerous charges after St. Theresa’s Catholic Church was vandalized on Monday night.

Police say that Justin Roy, 20, of Orleans, was arrested for burglary, unlawful mischief, and unlawful trespass, after a call came in at around 8 p.m. of a fire at the church, located at 44 East Street.

Father Timothy Naples said that items were broken and a tablecloth had been set on fire, causing damage to a wood panel in the building, however, the fire was extinguished by a neighbor.

Police say that the damages are estimated at around $3,000, with much of the damage labor intensive to clean up, after several fire extinguishers were discharged throughout the building.

Entry into the church was made by breaking out a window, and Fr. Naples said that the perpetrators cut themselves in the process, and that there was a significant amount of blood at the site.

The church usually holds services on Saturday evening, and say that they will work to get the building cleaned up in time. They say there is also the possibility of holding services in the parish hall.

Roy was lodged at Northern State Correctional Facility for lack of bail.

ORLEANS — Fire destroyed a home in Orleans on Tuesday, leaving a local family temporarily homeless.

The fire broke out at around 1 p.m. on South Street, at a two-story home built on the edge of the Barton River, near the Ethan Allen plant.

The home was owned by Jeremy Glodgett and Jessica Ortiz.

There was nobody home at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries reported.

The Orleans Fire Department was assisted by several area departments to help battle the blaze throughout the afternoon.

The family of five have been in contact with the American Red Cross, who are helping them with their immediate needs. In the next few days a caseworker with the Red Cross will help direct the family to needed services.

There is no word yet as to what may have caused the fire.

ORLEANS — A 78-year-old man from Orleans had $150 cash stolen from him on Thursday, after someone broke inside his home located on Tarbox Hill Road.

Police are reporting that Paul Montague was the victim in the incident, and that the perpetrator gained access to the home by forcing their way through the front door, which was locked.

According to the report:

Sometime between 8 a.m. on 10/8/14 and 4 p.m. on 10/9/14, an unknown person(s) forced their way through the locked front door of Montague’s home and stole $150 in cash.

Anyone with information is asked to contact VSP Derby 802-334-8881.

ORLEANS — The Vermont State Police are reporting that a dog, possibly a Pit Bull mix, was hit by a vehicle on I-91 last night. They are trying to identify the pet owner.

Yesterday, October 3, at around 10 p.m. police received a call that a dog was running up and down I-91 near mile marker 161, just north of exit 26, Orleans.

When police arrived, the dog had already been struck and killed by a vehicle traveling on the interstate.

The dog was a tan, Pit Bull mix breed. It was not wearing a collar and did not have any tags. The animal weighed approximately 30 to 40 pounds.

Anyone who is missing a dog matching this description is asked to contact the Vermont State Police: 802-334-8881.

BRADFORD — An Orleans man suffered a broken collar bone and multiple lacerations during an accident on Interstate 91 early Tuesday morning.

James Baraw, 34, of Orleans, was involved in the single vehicle rollover that happened in the southbound lane at exit 16 in Bradford. Troopers from the Bradford Barracks responded to the crash at around 6:42 a.m.

Upon arrival, police say Baraw was out of the vehicle.

According to police, Baraw stated that he reached down to grab something and his vehicle traveled off the roadway. The vehicle entered the grass median and overturned.

He was transported to Cottage Hospital. He was treated for a broken collar bone and multiple lacerations, and released.

ORLEANS — In U.S. District Court in Burlington on Wednesday, Tony Rudolph Williams Jr. of Detroit, pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to sell heroin from an apartment in Orleans, Vermont.

Williams, 34, was arrested on Nov. 14 in Plattsburgh, New York, while getting off of a bus. Police arrested him based on information they received from confidential informants. When searched, he was in possession of more than a half ounce of heroin, a powdery substance, and muscle relaxants. He was ordered to remain in custody after being indicted on a drug conspiracy charge by a federal grand jury last week.

According to an affidavit filed with the court by a Vermont Drug Task Force agent, Williams “admitted that he was on his way to Vermont to make money selling drugs. He admitted this was his fourth trip to Vermont. He said he had transported 2-3 grams of heroin on a prior trip and sold it in Orleans County.”

According to the affidavit, a man identified by the nickname “Shorty,” has yet to be apprehended, but is said to have periodically sold heroin and other drugs from the apartment in Orleans since June.

According to court papers, Williams is said to have told police that he was a former member of the Bloods street gang. The court fillings also state that Williams has 12 prior convictions, three of which are felonies, and that he had two warrants for his arrest in Michigan at the time he was arrested in New York.