by KeepVermontSafe.com

Police have arrested James Townsend, 39 of New Haven for attempting to break into a Burlington house in the early morning of October 24. Police received a report at 3:30 am about Townsend attempting to enter the residence and being restrained outside by one of the residents.

Police later learned that Townsend had been caught looking through the window of the residence on two separate occasions that same night.

This incident is reminiscent of another that happened on December 21, 2022 where Townsend was arrested for allegedly attempting to break in through a window into a woman’s house.

Townsend has two previous sex crimes convictions for Prohibited Acts. Townsend also has two sets of active court conditions which outlines a curfew. The curfew conditions were in relation to two previous Burlington Police cases from September 2022 and November 2022. One for lewd or lascivious conduct and the other for voyeurism.  

Townsend was issued a flash citation for voyeurism and violation of conditions of release on the morning of Thursday, October 24. Later in the morning, Townsend was arraigned and released on conditions.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Burlington Police Department at (802) 658-2704.

Townsend’s criminal history includes:

4 felony charges with 0 convictions

7 misdemeanor charges with 5 convictions

3 assaultive crime charges with 2 convictions

3 sex crime charges with 2 convictions

10 violations of probation/parole charges with 0 convictions

Man Attacked with Metal Baseball Bat on Ethan Allen Parkway

Police have arrested Leslie Alexander, 61, of Burlington for an alleged incident that occurred on October 18.

According to reports, police responded to an active disturbance on the Ethan Allen Parkway between two individuals where weapons were involved.

A man was struck by Alexander with a metal baseball bat. He was treated on scene by the Burlington Fire Department.

On October 30, South Burlington police located Alexander in South Burlington who notified BPD. Officers with the BPD arrived on scene and took Alexander into custody for aggravated assault. Alexander was released by a judge on a flash citation to appear in court on October 31.

Alexander was arraigned and released on conditions.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Burlington Police Department at (802) 658-2704.

Alexander’s criminal history includes:

12 misdemeanor convictions

3 assaultive crime convictions

1 dangerous/deadly weapon charge

Verbal Altercation Between Man and Woman Leads to Arrest

Vermont State Police have arrested Jacob Olcott, 32, of Barnett, in Wheelock for what appears to be an alleged domestic abuse situation.

Police received a report of an altercation inside of a vehicle traveling on South Wheelock Road where a male could be heard screaming at a female who was calling for help. The incident took place around 11pm on October 30.

Troopers identified the vehicle in the area and found four occupants in the car. One was identified as Olcott. Police discovered that Olcott had a court ordered condition of release that prevented him from having contact with another individual in the car

He was taken into custody for violating his conditions of release and transported to the St. Johnsbury Barracks for processing. His bail was set at $5,000. He was cited to appear in Caledonia County Superior Court on October 31.

Massive Drug Bust in Berlin

On October 30, police and federal agencies executed a search warrant on 57 Poplar St. Apartment B7 in Berlin which led to the discovery of a Cocaine and Fentanyl operation.

Police arrested Michael Townsend, 48, of Berlin, Juana Renfrew, 54, of Berlin, and an unnamed youthful offender who is 18 from Springfield, Massachusetts.

All three were taken into custody and issued citations to appear at Washington County Criminal Court in early December. The charges include Possession of Cocaine, Trafficking of Fentanyl and Dispensing or Selling inside a Residential Dwelling.

Participating agencies: Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Vermont State Police.

Petty Theft from Church, Seeking Information

A bag and its contents was stolen from the Brownington Congregational Church in Brownington. 

The incident was reported on November 1 but likely occurred sometime on October 27 during a church service.

The bag was a black leather waist pouch. Inside it was a checkbook, a Nokia flip phone, a camera, and a calculator.

The State Police is requesting the public’s assistance with this case and asks anyone with information to call the State Police Derby Barracks at 802-334-8881.