The Bennington Sheriff’s Department is hosting the Spring 2024 Criminal Justice (CJ) and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) SkillsUSA Vermont competitions on Wednesday, April 10 at the Bennnington County Sheriff’s Office at 811 US-7 in Bennington.

Bennington County Sheriff, James Gulley, Jr., who has headed up this competition for the past two years, as well as representatives of the Vermont Sheriff’s Association and Vermont State Police will be on hand to judge the competitions.

Twenty-eight students representing several Vermont career and technical centers will be competing against each other to test their skills to see if they have what it takes to become a law enforcement officer or a crime scene investigator. The winners in each category will advance to the national competition, where Vermont students will compete against the best-ranked students from all other states and territories.

The winner will go to the national competition in Atlanta, GA on June 24.

Apparent self-inflicted death under investigation – On April 7, the Vermont State Police responded to Ring Road in Waterbury, near the intersection of Bear Creek Lane, where troopers found Robert Champine, 55, of Waterbury, in his vehicle. After multiple interviews, the preliminary investigation shows the male died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This death is not considered suspicious. The body was transported to the OCME for autopsy to confirm the cause and manner of the death. This is an ongoing investigation by the Vermont State Police.

Reward for information about killer of Honoree Fleming – Six months after the killing of 77-year-old Honoree Fleming of Castleton, the Vermont State Police investigation into her death remains active and ongoing.

Detectives assigned to the case continue their work pursuing and developing leads. Investigators are receiving tips from the public and following up on that information. Evidence analysis remains underway. The Victim Services Unit continues to provide assistance and support to the family.

VSP is aware of a privately funded financial reward for information in this case but has not received any tips that can be specifically tied to the availability of this money. Anyone who might have information that could assist investigators should call VSP’s barracks in Rutland at 802-773-9101, or send a tip anonymously online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.