WVTK Local & State News July 25, 2014

A 70-year-old Vermont man charged with fatally shooting two electricians who were working on his rented home last winter is asking for a new lawyer. Sylvester Labartino of Fair Haven has been held on $750,000 bail in the Feb. 12 shooting deaths of 57-year-old Shane Plummer and his 26-year-old son Christopher, both of West Haven. Labartino says the Rutland lawyers Mark Furlan and Christopher Montgomery have not been in touch with him since his arraignment. Judge Theresa DiMauro is scheduled to hold a hearing on Labartino's request on Wednesday in the criminal court for Rutland County.

A Shelburne man pleaded not guilty this morning to the murder of a toddler in his care. 26-year-old Joshua Blow was arrested last night after a three-day investigation into the death of 2-year-old Aiden Haskins. The boy was found unresponsive Tuesday morning and pronounced dead later that day. Police called his death suspicious from the start. Blow is the boyfriend of the child's mother. She told police that she did have involvement with the state Department for Children Families when Aiden was born. That makes him the third toddler with DCF connections to die this year.

Police in Colchester say they quickly captured a bank robber this morning. The Merchants Bank in Colchester was robbed shortly before 9:30 a.m. The bandit handed the teller a note saying he had a gun and demanding cash. After the robber got the money, he took off on foot. But investigators say before the call came in to police, an on patrol nearby and spotted a man acting suspiciously. The man ran from the bank toward Price Chopper, wearing a hat and sunglasses. Corporal Akerlind caught up with the man just as dispatch radioed that the bank had been robbed. Police say 31-year-old Erik Weinmann of Colchester, surrendered to Akerlind and was arrested. He's charged with assault and robbery. Police say Weinmann had a toy gun when he was arrested, along with the note to the teller and the stolen loot.

No one was hurt, and everything went according to plan when a jet airliner had to make an emergency landing. That happened Thursday afternoon at Burlington International Airport shortly after the Canadair Regional Jet 200 aircraft took off. The pilot felt what where called "unknown vibrations" and after 15 minutes in the air returned, with the airport's and South Burlington's fire departments responding, along with local police and the Air National Guard. The plane landed safely and everyone evacuated okay.