October 7, 2026:
Domestic violence ran through nearly every corner of the state this week, from a 911 hang-up call in Topsham to a pair of first-degree aggravated domestic assault counts in Derby and an attempted-murder arraignment in Georgia. Impaired driving supplied the rest of the headlines: a wrong-way driver on I-91, a vehicle fire on the Berlin State Highway hours before a Montpelier domestic arrest, and a DUI #3 charge after a crash at Exit 8.
Addison: Matthew Gosselin, 35, of Salisbury, was arrested on a charge of aggravated domestic assault after state police responded to what they described as “a reported family fight” on Chickadee Avenue in Salisbury on the night of Oct. 5. According to the release, the investigation determined that Gosselin “had inflicted pain on a family member.” Gosselin was lodged on $1,000 bail at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, with an appearance scheduled in Addison County criminal court for Oct. 6. Read more
Stephen O. Lizewski, 59, of Ferrisburgh, was cited for DUI #1 and negligent operation after troopers responded to a crash on Monkton Road in New Haven late on Oct. 2. Troopers said they “observed signs of impairment from the operator.” Lizewski was processed at Middlebury Police Department and released on a citation to appear in Addison County criminal court Nov. 16. Read more
Bennington: Skylar Ryan Kinney, 24, of Pownal, was cited for furnishing alcohol to minors and dispensing cannabis to a person under 21. According to state police, Kinney “supplied cannabis and alcohol to a person under 21 years of age on several occasions.” Kinney is due in Bennington criminal court Nov. 23. Read more
Caledonia: Robin Noyes, 40, of St. Johnsbury, was cited for criminal threatening after St. Johnsbury police responded to a noise complaint on Pearl Street on the morning of Oct. 5. Police said they received statements that Noyes “had made threats to kill another person during an argument over who owned a specific parcel of land.” Noyes is due in Caledonia County court Oct. 26. Read more
Dylan Foskett, 31, of Littleton, N.H., was arrested on an in-state warrant for operating with a license suspended for DUI after troopers stopped a vehicle on I-91 South in St. Johnsbury on Oct. 1. According to the release, troopers pulled the vehicle over after observing “trash actively falling out of its bed onto the Interstate.” Foskett, a passenger, was found to have the active warrant. Foskett was lodged at Northeast Correctional Complex for lack of $100 bail. Read more
Chittenden: Shania Plante, 29, of Morristown, faces charges of DUI refusal, resisting arrest, assault on law enforcement, disorderly conduct and assault on a protected professional after a Sept. 30 incident that began on I-89 northbound in South Burlington. State police said they received reports of a vehicle operating erratically that had struck a guardrail and kept going. Troopers found the vehicle at a gas station on Shelburne Road, where, according to the release, the operator displayed “multiple indicators of impairment” and became disorderly. Plante is due in Chittenden County court Oct. 22. Read more
Five activists were charged in federal court Sept. 30 with trespass for allegedly blocking the entrances to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston. Those charged are Peter Booth, 58, of Jericho; Lexington Kennedy, 22, of New York City; Henry Prensky, 80, of Burlington; Roan Wade, 23, of Red Hook, N.Y.; and Sherri Wormser, 57, of Colchester. According to the report, the charges stem from three incidents: Feb. 9, when all five allegedly blocked access doors; May 14, involving Booth and Prensky; and July 24, involving Kennedy and Wade. No arraignment dates had been set. Read more
Franklin: Lance Therrien, 51, pleaded not guilty Oct. 2 to attempted murder, aggravated assault and arson after police say he tried to burn down a camper in Georgia where his sister lived while she was inside. According to court documents, Therrien allegedly “poured gas around the camper where his sister lived and set the nearby grass on fire.” Police said Therrien had a blood alcohol level of 0.136 when arrested and was carrying two firearms despite a prior domestic assault conviction that bars him from possessing weapons. A judge ordered him held. Read more
Aneda Ross, 55, of Highgate, faces two counts of criminal threatening and three counts of disorderly conduct by telephone. According to state police, Ross was reported on Sept. 25 to have threatened to shoot a neighbor, then called the dispatch center “over 20 times to yell at, harass and make lewd comments to the dispatchers.” Police say that after a patrol sergeant warned her, she threatened to shoot the sergeant and left five voicemails. She was cited Sept. 30. On Oct. 4, police say, she left “7 harassing and lewd voicemails” and again called dispatch, leading to additional disorderly conduct by telephone charges. She is due in Franklin Superior Court Nov. 10. Read more
Jaden Burnor, 29, of Swanton, was issued a criminal citation for driving under the influence and operating after suspension or revocation of license following a single-vehicle crash into a guardrail on Vermont Route 78 near Carter Hill Road in Highgate on Oct. 4. Troopers said that at Northwestern Medical Center they “observed that Burnor had indicators of impairment and had been operating with a criminally suspended license.” Burnor is due in Franklin criminal court Dec. 15. Read more
Orange: Harold Hallock Sr., 55, of Topsham, was charged with first-degree aggravated domestic assault after troopers responded to a 911 hang-up call in Topsham on the night of Sept. 29. According to the release, Hallock “caused serious pain and bodily injury to a family member.” Hallock was held without bail at Northeast Correctional Complex, with an appearance scheduled in Orange criminal court for Sept. 30. Read more
Spencer Bence, 42, of Braintree, was arrested on two counts of violating an abuse prevention order on Oct. 2. State police said they received multiple reports that Bence was violating the order on VT Route 12 in Braintree, and responding troopers found that multiple violations had occurred. Bail was set at $10,000, with an Orange County criminal court date set for Oct. 5. Read more
David Henault Jr., 23, of Washington, was charged with violation of conditions of release and simple assault after troopers responded to a disturbance on VT Route 110 in Washington on the morning of Oct. 5. According to the release, Henault violated his court-ordered conditions by entering a residence, where he placed a man in fear of bodily injury. Police said troopers were initially unable to locate Henault, but he later turned himself in at the Orange County Courthouse in Chelsea. He is due in Orange criminal court Oct. 21. Read more
Orleans: Steven Sheltra, 53, of Derby, faces two counts of first-degree aggravated domestic assault, two counts of reckless endangerment, possession of stolen property and DUI #2 after a domestic disturbance on Main Street in Derby on Sept. 30. According to the release, the investigation revealed Sheltra “had recklessly attempted to cause serious bodily injury to household members.” Officers said Sheltra was operating a vehicle on scene and showed indicators of impairment. Sheltra was held on $1,500 bail at Northern State Correctional Facility, with an appearance scheduled in Orleans criminal court for Oct. 1. Read more
A Derby trooper who observed “a vehicle with two unresponsive occupants” at a gas station on US Route 5 in Derby early on Oct. 1 ended up with two cases. According to the release, both occupants became responsive on contact, troopers saw indicators of drug use, and a search of the vehicle turned up a cocaine-like substance. Troy Guertin, 42, of Newport Center, was cited for cocaine possession and violating a condition of release, which police said was a 24-hour curfew. Nicholas Blake, 37, of no fixed address, was arrested on in-state warrants for retail theft, DUI drug and operating with license suspended for DUI, and held on $200 bail at Northern State Correctional Facility. Read more
Khadim Ndaiye, 29, a Senegalese national previously of Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged by criminal complaint with illegal entry into the United States after Border Patrol agents arrested him near North Troy following an unlawful border crossing on Sept. 30, according to federal prosecutors. According to the report, he had an open New York County Criminal Court warrant on a charge of felony attempted forcible rape stemming from a Sept. 1, 2025, arrest. Read more
Rutland: Christopher Herring, 45, of Rutland, faces charges of grand larceny, operation without owner’s consent, larceny from a motor vehicle and possession of burglar’s tools after a vehicle was reported stolen from Pro Cycle on Route 103 in Clarendon on Sept. 29. According to state police, Herring took a key fob during daylight hours on Sept. 28 and returned that night to take the vehicle. Rutland City police stopped the vehicle on Cottage Street, where Herring was found operating it with burglar’s tools. Herring was held on $20,000 bail at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, with an appearance scheduled in Rutland criminal court for Sept. 30. Read more
John J. Pandiani, 54, of Rutland City, was cited for retail theft by Rutland Town police on Oct. 1. According to the department, Pandiani departed the Hannaford Supermarket on US Route 7S in Rutland Town on Sept. 17 “with merchandise he did not render payment for.” He is due in Rutland criminal court Oct. 19. Read more
Washington: Phillip Mensah, 32, of Montpelier, was arrested on charges of first-degree aggravated domestic assault, domestic assault, two counts of criminal threatening, unlawful restraint and unlawful mischief after police responded to “multiple 911 calls reporting a disturbance and possible physical altercation” at a Nelson Street residence early on Oct. 3. Police said the investigation revealed Mensah assaulted two household members, made threats, prevented one from leaving and damaged property. About three hours earlier, according to the report, Mensah had been taken into custody after a vehicle fire on the Berlin State Highway near U.S. Route 302, processed for suspected drunk driving and released with a citation. A Washington County Superior Court judge set bail at $10,000, and he was held for lack of bail. Read more
John Lloyd Dyer, 44, of Rutland City, was cited for DUI #3 and negligent operation after a single-vehicle crash on I-89 North at Exit 8 in Montpelier on the morning of Oct. 2. Troopers said they “detected signs of impairment” in the operator. Read more
Sydney Walden, 61, of Plainfield, was arrested Oct. 2 on East Hill Road in Plainfield on two counts of violation of conditions of release and one count of obstruction of justice, stemming from reports state police received Sept. 30. Bail was set at $10,000 and Walden was lodged at Northeast Correctional Complex. Read more
In a new development since our Sept. 9 edition, Joshua Brackett, 41, of Waitsfield, faces three new counts of violation of conditions of release. According to state police, Brackett has been held without bail at Northeastern Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury following a Sept. 6 shooting in Barre Town, and had two active sets of court-ordered conditions of release. Police say Brackett violated both between Sept. 14 and Sept. 21 by communicating with a prohibited person electronically and by mail. Brackett is due in Washington criminal court Oct. 15. Read more
Ashley Brooks, 42, of Northfield, was arrested Oct. 1 at a Waterbury residence on a charge of possession of cocaine. According to state police, the charge stems from a Sept. 23 report of a suspicious vehicle on Stowe Street in Waterbury in which Brooks was a passenger; drugs were found in a warrant search of the seized vehicle. Brooks was released on a citation. Read more
Windham: Jose Vazquez, 35, of Springfield, Mass., was cited for DUI, negligent operation and reckless endangerment after troopers responded to multiple calls about a wrong-way driver on I-91 northbound near mile marker 31 in Rockingham early on Oct. 3. Troopers stopped the vehicle at mile marker 25.8, and according to the release, “indicators of impairment were observed.” Vazquez is due in Windham criminal court Oct. 20. Read more
Alexander W. Manning, 38, of Guilford, was cited for simple assault after troopers responded to what they described as “a report of a citizen dispute on Stage Road” in Guilford on Oct. 2. Manning is due in Windham criminal court Nov. 10. Read more
State police responded Oct. 5 to “a reported threat of violence targeting public school in Putney.” According to the release, police “developed no information to suggest the threat is credible,” but kept an elevated presence at local schools for the rest of the day. The source of the threat is unknown. Read more
Windsor: Jonathan Livesey, 56, of Rochester, was charged with domestic assault, interference with access to emergency services and unlawful mischief after troopers responded to a domestic altercation in Rochester on Oct. 1. According to the release, Livesey “had assaulted and caused pain to a family or household member,” interfered with the victim’s attempt to contact emergency services and damaged the victim’s property. Livesey was lodged at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, with an appearance scheduled in Windsor criminal court for Oct. 2. Read more
Zachary Fletcher, 20, of Cavendish, was cited for DUI refusal after troopers responded to a report of impaired driving on Main Street in Cavendish shortly after midnight Oct. 4. Fletcher was processed at Springfield Police Department and is due in Windsor criminal court Oct. 27. Read more
Vermont State Police: The Vermont State Police Drug Task Force and Tactical Services Unit executed a search warrant at a residence in Waterbury on Oct. 1 as part of an investigation into narcotics distribution in Washington County. Several local and county agencies and the FBI assisted. No names or charges were released, and police said “additional information will be provided when it becomes available.” Read more
11 of Vermont’s fourteen counties reported verifiable criminal activity this week.
To the troopers who stopped a wrong-way driver on I-91 in the middle of the night, the dispatchers on the receiving end of twenty-plus abusive calls, the officers who dealt with the same Montpelier man twice before breakfast, and every deputy, agent and municipal officer who answered a call in between: thank you. Your work keeps Vermont’s roads, homes and schools safer, and it rarely gets the credit it deserves.
By the numbers
Vermont booked 141 people into Department of Corrections custody or supervision in the seven days of September 29 through October 5 — up from 97 the week before. As of the state’s latest update, 817 people are detained in a Vermont facility awaiting trial. Live counts, the daily intake log, and a person lookup are in The Booking Log, which queries the state’s own data directly.