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by VDC staff
Vermont State Police are investigating after a dog was shot and killed in Richford on Wednesday evening, Oct. 1.
At about 5 p.m., Nicholas Weatherby, 28, of Richford, reported hearing a single gunshot while his black German Shepherd was in a nearby field off Route 105 and Magoon Road. The dog returned to Weatherby’s residence with a fatal gunshot wound to its snout.
Witnesses told troopers they saw a man walking away from the area shortly after the shot, before getting into a white full-sized pickup truck and heading toward town. Police said it is not yet known if the shooting was intentional or accidental. The case remains under investigation.
Bennington man charged in Rutland inmate assault
A Bennington man already incarcerated at Marble Valley Correctional Center has been cited in connection with an inmate-on-inmate assault that left another man seriously injured.
Police said Kevin Simmons, 27, assaulted 40-year-old Joshua Croteau of Rutland in the Echo Unit of MVCC on Sept. 23, 2025. Croteau suffered a fractured jaw and broken teeth.
On Oct. 2, investigators with the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations cited Simmons for aggravated assault. Simmons, who is being held at MVCC on unrelated charges, is scheduled to appear in Rutland Criminal Court on Nov. 3. Additional charges are possible.
Berlin man arrested after harassing 911 dispatchers
A Middlesex man is facing charges after allegedly making repeated harassing and threatening calls to emergency dispatchers on Wednesday morning.
Police said 42-year-old Cormick Cantwell placed several non-emergency 911 calls around 7:23 a.m. on Oct. 1. Troopers determined Cantwell violated active conditions of release and acted in a disorderly manner.
Cantwell was arrested and cited for violation of conditions of release and disorderly conduct by phone. He was scheduled to appear in Washington County Superior Court, Criminal Division, later that same day.
Middlesex man cited for violating stalking order
Vermont State Police say a Middlesex man has been cited for violating a stalking order.
On Sept. 27, troopers responded to a report that Zachary P. French, 53, had violated the order. Following investigation, French was issued a criminal citation on Oct. 2 for violation of a stalking order.
French was scheduled to appear in Washington County Superior Court, Criminal Division, on Oct. 2. Police did not release the victim’s identity in accordance with state policy.
Fairfax driver charged with DUI, excessive speed
A 24-year-old Fairfax man is facing multiple charges after state police clocked him driving 110 mph on Interstate 89 in Milton on Oct. 1.
Troopers stopped a southbound vehicle near mile marker 102.8 at about 8:33 p.m. The driver was identified as Jordan Jenkins, 24, of Fairfax. Police said Jenkins showed signs of impairment and was arrested for suspicion of DUI.
He was transported to the Williston barracks for processing and cited to appear in Chittenden County Superior Court on charges of DUI #1 and negligent operation.
Jenkins also received civil tickets for excessive speed, carrying a $668 fine and two points, and for operating without a license.
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Vermont has state laws, for good reason, requiring dogs to be on a leash or under the immediate, verbal control of their owner when off their owner’s property. Add to that the fact that we’re in early black bear season and this story seems like a recipe for disaster.
It doesn’t matter even IF the dog in question has escaped or was otherwise running loose – VERMONT LAW states that a lost/loose/unrestrained dog or one on your property CANNOT be shot or otherwise injured or killed unless your life is being endangered by said dog. THAT is the LAW.
Statute 352 and Additional Animal Cruelty Statutes – Killing or ATTEMPTING to KILL an unrestrained domestic dog is PROHIBITED and can result in arrest & prison time. UNLESS it is proven a dog was MENACING you or a family member or another domestic or farm animal.
A running dog or a dog on one’s “precious” property does NOT give some high & mighty homeowner the “right” to take that animal’s life.
The shooter is a cowardly, pathetic excuse for a human being with no regard for life or the one who creates it.
The only recipe for disaster this article proves are self-appointed “hunters” who have guns with no clue how to use them. POSITIVELY IDENTIFY TARGET. FIRST-TIME HUNTER EDUCATION COURSE given by FISH & WILDLIFE. The first thing one should learn before EVER touching a loaded firearm.
The guy is running from the law. As well he should. Cowards always do.
Vermont, in reality, does NOT require dogs to be on a leash in many locations but INSTEAD under an owner’s voice control/command. A dog running in a field to play/fetch/exercise is NOT posing any threat to you or to this psychopathic predator and he had ZERO authority under VT law to shoot it unless it was “menacing” him or another – and that is the law – decidedly not your version.
As far you’re spreading the ludicrous “justification” that the dog was mistaken for a bear – once again Fish & Wildlife/Hunting regulations/laws teach that ANY hunter must IDENTIFY with certainty his/her target before pulling the trigger of a potentially deadly weapon for what ought be OBVIOUS REASONS. This necessity & protocol is early on instructed to youths in Vermont’s FIRST-TIME HUNTER EDUCATION COURSE via F & W prior to being able to obtain a license. If you or anyone else believes they cannot differentiate between a wild bear and a domestic dog, your hunting license needs to be revoked.
If this was done with intent, the perpetrator is a sickening coward & a criminal for intentionally shooting a domestic animal, and if it was “unintentional” they are a sickening coward, a dangerous, untrained loser who shouldn’t be handling firearms, & a criminal for leaving the scene of an accident. If you even accidentally hit a dog with your vehicle, nonetheless shoot a dog with a gun, you re: REQUIRED TO STOP, CONTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND REPORT THE INCIDENT!
This massive idiot is a true loose cannon in every respect and as always will eventually reap what he sows one way or the other. Pathetic excuse for a supposed human being. “Big brained” are we still somehow considered? Hardly. Seek Help, though it’s likely far too late.
How is a dog that is running loose, physically separated from their owner, and on someone else’s property, “under an owner’s voice control/command?”
Sad situation but a reminder as to why people are required to maintain control of their dogs when not on their own property.