Chester Police Log for Dec. 1, 2013 through Jan. 28, 2014

Editor’s Note: The Chester Telegraph Police Log is a sampling of incidents directly from Chester Police reports. We do not identify individual victims of crimes nor those who have been arrested.

Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013, 1:51 p.m.

Police were sent to a home off Trebo Road following a complaint of animal cruelty, in which the dogs were malnourished with no food, water or shelter. Police found two hound types that were extremely skinny with no fresh water and no dry bedding. The owner said he had run out of food this morning and he had no running water on his property and had to get it at a friend’s daily. I asked about a third dog and the owner said it had died two weeks ago. After speaking with both parties, it was agreed that the complainant would take care of the two dogs until a new home could be found.

Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, 1:26 p.m.

A rental tenant complained that although she had until Dec. 22, 2013 to vacate the premises on VT Route 10, her landlord who is also her father-in-law had shut off the power and that she could not see to pack and remove her items. She also stated that she had a refrigerator full of food that could spoil. Police located the landlord to tell him that he had no right to shut off the utilities and that the quickest way to help the woman vacate the residence was by leaving the power on so that she could so. The landlord agreed and said he would turn the power back on.

Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013, 8:26 a.m.

The operator of a vehicle said she had been passing Andover-Weston Road on Route 11 when she was hit by another driver who was turning onto Route 11. The other driver said that although she had looked, she had not seen the vehicle on Route 11.

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, 6:57 a.m.

Residents of an apartment called to request help in getting heat back on in the apartment he shares with his wife. The couple are elderly and they said they had had no heat for a couple of days, although the heating system had been worked on. Police contacted maintenance who advised that the parts were on order and that he would see that the residents got portable heaters in the meantime.

Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013, 11:57 a.m.

Police investigated a two-car collision at the parking lot of the Post Office on Main Street. No injuries were reported and after taking statements from both parties, it appears that both could have been telling the truth and fault could not be determined.

7:47 p.m.

Police were called to a single car accident on Route 10. The operator of the car is from Connecticut as is his passenger. Upon speaking with the driver the officer noticed a strong odor of intoxicants. The driver said that he had been at Okemo Mountain skiing, had dinner, then drove back to where they were staying in Chester. But on Route 10, they missed the turn and decided to make a U-Turn, but the car became stuck when his front tires left the road surface onto the shoulder’s snow. The driver willing performed field sobriety exercises and took a preliminary breath test, and was then taken into custody. The passenger stated that he could not be sure 100 percent sure that the driver was actually driving at the time of the accident. But the driver responded, “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course, I was driving.” A Vermont State Police officer helped the passenger get to the place they were staying and the car was towed. The driver remained very cooperative, respectful and compliant throughout, including during processing. Afterward, he was taken to join the passenger where they were spending the night.

Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, 10:01 a.m.

Police received a report that someone had littered on property on Route 11 west, just past Andover-Weston Road. The owner of the land said that the garbage included beer cans and mail with a name and address. Police spoke to the person whose name and address were on the mail. The man said he believed his son was responsible and would clean it up. After a week, the cleanup was not done and police issued a $100 ticket for littering.

Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, 9:14 a.m.

Police received a report of smoke and a strange smell coming from the chimney of the Scottish pub on Min Street. Upon arrival, police found the same and contacted the Fire Department.

Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013, 10:19 p.m.

Police were called for a one-car accident on Green Mountain Turnpike and were told that the driver had left the scene to call in the accident and wanted to be picked up along the way. As police approached, he saw two juveniles walking and they advised that they had been involved in the accident. Police took the pair back to the  scene, where police saw marks in the road about 100 yards back showing where the operator had made the corner too fast and lost control. After leaving the road, the vehicle traveled another 150 feet, crossing over a large dropoff.  The driver said he had hit ice, but police responded that telling the truth would be the best option since there was no ice on the road where the car went off. The driver then admitted he had been going too fast. Both he and the passenger were turned over to their parents when they arrived on the scene. The vehicle was totaled, with massive damage to the undercarriage including the frame, passenger side doors and fenders.

Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013, 11:10 a.m.

An unknown vehicle had been left at the Chester-Andover Family Center lot. Police discovered that the State Police had issued a ticket to the operator because he had no license. Police suggested that complainant called the State Police since it should not have been left on the property without permission.

Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, 2:36 p.m.

Police were sent to South Main Street where a Jack Russell terrier was found running loose without tags. The dog was cold and scared but the police were able to locate the owners, who had just moved into a home on Grafton Street.

Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013, 9:57 a.m.

Police received a complaint of a black tractor trailer being driven erratically on VT Route 11 west.  Complainant said that as he tried to pass the truck, it tried to run him off the road. That stretch of the road, however, is not a safe place to pass.

Friday, Jan. 3, noon

Police responded to an accident in the parking lot of Spaulding’s Service Garage on VT Route 103 north. Upon arrival police found a sedan near the road with heavy damage. A  man identified himself as the driver of the vehicle. He stated that as he was driving at 50 mph, he began choking on his coffee, then passed out and awoke after the crash. The passenger stated the same and adding that he had yelled at the driver to wake up and that the vehicle veered across the road, smashing into the parked truck and trailer. He said the driver was just beginning to wake up upon impact. The owner of the truck stated that he was standing next to his trailer — which has another vehicle on it — when he heard a loud bang and the truck and trailer slid sideways. He then saw the sedan come sideways around the back. Both vehicles had damage of more than $3,000. The sedan driver and his passenger refused medical treatment.

10:45 p.m.

Police responded to a complaint of music being played too loud at an apartment on Pleasant Street. Police asked the occupants to keep the noise down at such a late hour. The man was very intoxicated and called the police officer a rude name. Police advised the man that he should go to bed before he found himself under arrest for the noise. Man’s wife said she would keep him quiet.

Monday, Jan. 6, 12:41 p.m.

There was a report of a fire at an apartment on Pleasant Street from a nonresident. Police contacted apartment management who said that they were aware that there had been a fire but did not know why the Fire Department had not been contacted. The management checked on the apartment and found that the damage was extensive and would like an investigation conducted. Management said the bathroom had been destroyed and the occupant said the problem was a faulty fan. Police contacted the state’s Fire Marshal’s office and a fire investigator, who met with police and the renter at the apartment. The occupant state that on Dec. 26, 2013, he took a shower and went to bed around 7:30 p.m. He said he heard the smoke alarm go off, opened his bedroom door to find the hallway and bathroom engulfed in smoke and that he could see fire in the bathroom. The renter stated that he wrapped a shirt around his face, went into the bathroom, turned on the water in the tub and began throwing water. The resident added that he stayed up all night checking for heat spots in the walls. Fire investigators  identified the fire’s origin as a faulty exhaust fan and found that the fire had extended into the rafters in the attic area.

Friday, Jan. 10, 3:50 p.m.

A woman reported that on Jan. 5, after she had done laundry at a laundromat that her Kindle, which she had left in a laundry basket, was missing. She stated that several youths had been “hanging around outside of the laundromat.”

Saturday, Jan. 11, 11:13 a.m.

Police received a complaint that a vehicle was parked at the Chester-Andover Family Center without permission. A short time later, it was discovered that the car belonged to someone who worked at the business just up the hill but icy conditions prevented it from making it up the hill.

1:31 p.m.

Police assisted a pregnant woman in leaving her home during icy conditions.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 12:06 p.m.

A vehicle was found parked blocking 50 percent of a Class 2 road on Smokeshire Road. While the car was being hoisted to be towed, it was discovered that a gas line had rotted out and that the vehicle was unsafe to operate.

5:53 p.m.

A large pothole was reported at Route 103 in the Stone Village. Police also located a vehicle that had struck the pothole. The car had a blown right front tire, which was beyond repair. The owner changed tires and was able to continue on his way. The Highway Department was notified.

7:06 p.m.

At Depot and Elm streets, police came across two vehicles that had struck a rather large and deep pothole. Police placed a traffic cone at the site to alert drivers. One car sustained damage to the right front tire, which had to be replaced. The other vehicle sustained damage to both the right front and right rear tires. This was the second call of the night concerning pothole damage to vehicles in the area. The Highway Department was notified and was working to correct the problems.

Friday, Jan. 17, 11:59 p.m.

Police were called to the rear parking lot of a Main Street office building for a suspicious vehicle. Police found a man in a truck. The man had no drugs or alcohol on him. The man explained that he usually spent nights away from home since he and his father do not get along. He said he finds a place to sleep in his truck with his dog. The man’s paperwork was in order. Police asked the man to find a place where he wouldn’t make people nervous.

4:20 a.m.

Police were called to Kirk Meadow Road near the town line for the report of a vehicle off the road and in the swamp. Upon arrival the vehicle was gone. There was no property damage at the scene.

Saturday, Jan. 25, 12:19 p.m.

A burglar alarm sounded at a home on Davidson Hill Road and the alarm company said that when they called, the person who answered the phone failed to provide a proper pass code. Upon arrival, the police found fresh tire tracks in the snow but no one around. The front door was locked and the alarm was silent.

Tuesday, Jan. 28, 8:57 a.m.

A New Jersey driver heading west on Route 11 at Blue Hill Road found himself upside down when the Prius he was driving went off the right side of the road. The driver was unsure what happened but apparently, the front tire was caught in the culvert and the car hit a utility pole.