Friday, May 22, 2015

WVTK Local & State News May 22, 2015

Vermont State Police are still trying to locate Denise Hart, a Connecticut woman who has been missing since the end of January. Hart borrowed an acquaintance's car on January 25th in Sudbury and that was the last time she was seen or heard from. The car was found several hours later engulfed in flames in Cornwall, and police say there's a strong possibility of foul play. Police yesterday conducted searches for Hart in Sudbury, Orwell, Whiting and Cornwall and did not locate any evidence in the case.

Vermont State Police arrested man accused of leaving the scene of an accident on Vermont Route 22A yesterday afternoon. Police say they located the vehicle that fled the scene abandoned in a nearby sand pit. A K9 was able to track the operator, 26-year-old James Turner of Shoreham, to a nearby residence. Turner is charged with leaving the scene of an accident and providing false information to a police officer. He was released on a citation to appear in court at the end of July.

According to the Fire Facility Committee the cost of the new Bristol Fire Department is estimated at $2.8-million. The new firehouse would replace the current 128-year-old firehouse at 32 North Street. The proposed 11,000-square foot building would include a 3 bay garage and a kitchen, training and community room and a space for storage and exercise equipment. Not included in the estimate was the cost of the land on which the firehouse would be built. A second meeting for public input on the estimated cost will be held next Tuesday at the Bristol Town Office in Holley Hall at 7 p.m.

Police arrested a man they say tried to lure a child during a sting operation. On April 21, police conducted an undercover underage prostitution operation at a local motel. Officers posed as 14-year-old girls for the sting. Police say one of the men, 39-year-old David Bowen of Florence, Vermont., was unable to meet the night of the operation, but kept in contact with one of the undercover officers whom he believed was a 14-year-old prostitute. Bowen is accused of arranging a time to meet for sex with the undercover officer. Police arrested Bowen at the arranged location without incident. He is charged with prohibited acts and attempting to lure a child.

Be careful on the roadways this weekend … not only will there be construction delays on many of the roads and highways but police will be out in force as part of the nationwide campaign, Click It or Ticket It. Law enforcement agencies across the state will be enforcing seatbelt, child restraint, and other motor vehicle laws during sobriety and vehicle safety checkpoints. Officials hope to reduce crashes and address poor driving behavior. Impaired and Distracted driving along with the lack of seatbelt use continue to be the major contributing factors into deaths on our roadways.