Category: Public Safety

Soulia: Data breach? Here’s what to do right now

Data breaches have become increasingly common, exposing sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers (SSNs), login credentials, and financial details. If you’ve been affected by a data breach, taking immediate action can help minimize potential damage and protect yourself from identity theft and fraud. Below are key steps to take to safeguard your identity and financial well-being.

E-bike battery explosion displaces 12 in Winooski

Fire officials say this kind of incident is becoming more common as e-bikes grow in popularity. Winooski Fire Department Lieutenant Adam Lind offered some practical safety advice for e-bike owners, recommending that people store and charge their batteries outside the home, or keep them disconnected from the bike itself when not in use, to reduce the risk of a fire spreading inside a living space.

Dominos robbed at gunpoint

Police responded at about 7:07 PM on July 30 to Domino’s Pizza at 250 Railroad St. for a report of an armed robbery. Investigators said the suspect, later identified as Jennifer T. Ricker, 34, of St. Johnsbury, displayed a firearm before taking money from the cash register and fleeing the scene.

Judge eases release conditions for MA teen accused of drug-related shooting

Prosecutors argued that Said, who faces a homicide charge in the death of Christina Chatlos, 38, should not receive any additional leniency. Caledonia State’s Attorney Claire Burns told the court that the state had originally sought to hold Said without bail and remains concerned about public safety and the possibility that he could flee while living in Massachusetts.

Tanker fire shuts down Interstate

Vermont State Police responded at about 3:15 AM on July 17 to reports of a truck on fire in the roadway. A preliminary investigation found that a small tanker truck traveling southbound experienced an apparent mechanical problem that ignited the vehicle. The cause of the mechanical failure remains under investigation.

2 arrested on drug charges in Barnet

Ashley Williams, 31, of St. Johnsbury, was found outside the residence and was in possession of a trafficking weight of a substance that tested positive for fentanyl, police said. Osvaldo Andino Rodriguez, 43, of Meriden, Connecticut, was found inside the residence, police said. Approximately 115 grams of a substance that field tested positive for cocaine base and over $47,000 in currency were seized, police said.

White supremacist denies biting U.S. deputy marshal in Vermont

Court records show Palermo attempted to flee and resist arrest when confronted by the U.S. Marshals Service and Vermont State Police as they executed two extraditable warrants from New Hampshire on April 24 in Groton.  State and federal investigators had tracked Palermo to a house at 100 Tinkham Road when they confronted him on the front porch, state police said.

UVM Police phone number being spoofed

While these callers may possess some of the recipient’s personal information, it has been gathered from public records — they have no access to law enforcement databases or warrant systems. UVM Police emphasize that they will never call to request money, payment information, photographs, or to warn of an ongoing investigation or open warrant.

Four arrested for trespassing charges at ICE facility in Williston

Peter Booth, 58, the vice chairman of the Jericho selectboard, Henry Prensky, 79, of Burlington, Aiden Balentine, 39, of Montpelier and Casey Seem, 20, of Oakham, Mass. They are due in state criminal court in Burlington on June 30. For Booth and Prensky it was the second time arrested for a similar blockade at a building containing a support office for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, state police said.

Deputy critically wounded after being dragged by suspect’s truck

Cpl. Jeffery Barriger, 42, of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department remains in critical but stable condition at the intensive care unit at the University of Vermont Medical Center.  A spokesman said he sustained serious head, brain and bodily injuries when he landed on the road after being dragged.  Court records also show he has a right eye fracture, blood in both ears, a fracture behind one ear, was vomiting blood and had an epidermal hematoma – a critical pooling of blood by the skull.