A 58-year-old man was found dead following an altercation at a Lawson Road home in Newport Town Christmas Day. The Vermont State Police are investigating the incident, which involved another resident of the property.
The altercation was reported to the Vermont State Police at about 3:15 p.m. Monday. Upon arrival, troopers found the older man dead at the scene. The other individual involved, a 39-year-old man, had already been transported to a hospital by private vehicle for injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
Police say preliminary investigations suggest this was an isolated incident contained to the address and involved individuals known to each other. There is no indication of a connection to other cases. Detectives have spoken with people connected to the incident, who have cooperated with the investigation. No arrests have been made at this stage.
The Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Field Force Division, Crime Scene Search Team (CSST), and Victim Services Unit are all involved in the ongoing investigation. The CSST is expected to process the scene, and the body of the deceased will be taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
The names of those involved will be released after further investigation and notification of relatives.
New Jersey man cited for 118 MPH on I-89 – On Dec. 23, at around 6:30 p.m., a vehicle operated by 27-year-old Kevin J. Tam of West Orange, New Jersey, was stopped for speeding after it was clocked at 118 mph in a 65 mph zone near mile marker 22. Tam was issued a citation to appear in Windsor County Court on Feb. 6 for the violation of excessive speed, according to authorities.
St. Albans apartment house total loss after fire – A fire swept through a three-unit apartment building at 59 Bank Street in St. Albans on Dec. 23, causing extensive damage and displacing residents, officials said.
The St Albans Fire Department responded to the blaze at 12:54 p.m. after reports of heavy smoke and fire at the property owned by Thomas and Kimberly O’Brien of Colchester. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered black smoke billowing from the porch and flames erupting from a first-floor window.
Crews from Swanton, St Albans Town, Georgia, and Milton provided mutual aid, battling the fire for several hours before extinguishing it. Investigators pinpointed the fire’s origin to the laundry room on the building’s east side, where it ignited in a dryer before spreading to nearby items.
Efforts by tenant Krzysztof Kaminski to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher were unsuccessful. The building, also home to tenants David Brueckner and Brandon Coburn of St Albans, sustained severe damage from the fire, heat, smoke, and water.
It is currently deemed a total loss, with estimated damages exceeding $500,000.
Reported by Newport Dispatch from police accounts