by VDC staff

A Montpelier woman who had been reported missing was found dead Tuesday, July 8, along a hiking trail off Horn of the Moon Road in East Montpelier, Vermont State Police said.

The discovery came around 1:30 p.m. after Montpelier Police contacted state troopers at the Berlin Barracks to report the body of the woman, identified as Joan Newberry, 40, had been found. Newberry had been reported missing the day prior, and police had received a tip that her vehicle was parked near the trail where her body was located.

Detectives from the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations responded to the scene and opened a death investigation. An autopsy conducted Wednesday, July 9, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington found no immediate signs of foul play. The official cause and manner of death remain pending.

State Police investigating impersonation of trooper in St. Johnsbury

Vermont State Police are investigating a report that a man impersonated a state trooper and conducted a fake traffic stop in St. Johnsbury on Friday, July 4.

The incident took place around 4:15 p.m. on Memorial Drive near Market 32. A man, described as white, in his early 20s, with short dark hair and brown eyes, was driving a small green vehicle equipped with flashing lights in the passenger-side windshield. He reportedly pulled over a blue Toyota Corolla and identified himself as a “State Trooper.”

The man was seen wearing a green shirt and pants. Authorities are asking anyone who may have witnessed the stop or who has information about the suspect to contact the Vermont State Police at 802-748-3111 or submit an anonymous tip by texting keyword VTIPS to 274637.

Vershire man cited in Corinth single-car crash

A Vershire man has been cited following a single-vehicle crash Thursday morning on Route 25 in Corinth, Vermont State Police said.

Troopers responded to the crash around 7:00 a.m. on July 10 and found a blue 2007 Honda Accord off the road with damage to several mailboxes. The driver had fled the scene.

Police later identified the operator as 40-year-old Cody Powell of Vershire. He has been cited to appear in Orange County Criminal Division on charges related to the crash.