Arrest made in felony assault case with multiple victims
By Guy Page
Many members of Montpelier’s homeless population were injured in a fight behind a church Saturday night.
Montpelier Police responded about 5:40 PM Saturday, March 28 to the Christ Church, located at 64 State St. for the report of an active physical altercation in the back parking lot.
Officers located multiple members of the unhoused population who had been injured during the assault. Police say the cause of the disturbance and dominant aggressor was Solomon Valle, unhoused of Barre.
Valle had fled the area prior to police arrival. Valle was located walking near the scene a short time later and was arrested by MPD officers.
Valle was subsequently lodged at the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility by Probation and Parole due to his alleged actions being in violation of his probation conditions. Valle was cited to appear in the Washington County Superior Court on Monday to answer to the crimes of Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, and Disorderly Conduct.
This isn’t Valle’s first run-in with the law.
Valle, then 25, was reportedly homeless when he attacked a woman and tried to ripped off her pants in 2019 in Plainfield, according to police and media reports. He also had a retail theft arrest.
The Montpelier Bridge last September reported the city paid the church last year to defray expenses for the homeless encampment behind the church:
“Montpelier’s City Council agreed to pay Christ Episcopal Church $600 per month, for three months, to defray the costs of allowing an encampment on their property. This unexpected quick decision happened during the Sept. 10 council meeting. It came following a presentation of the homelessness situation continuing to develop in downtown Montpelier from the perspective of a local church.”