WVTK Local & State News August 1, 2011

Vermont State Police say they anticipate “multiple additional charges” against a Middlebury man questioned in connection with an arson fire at a Pittsford car dealership. Steven Browne was arrested Friday for disorderly conduct, violating conditions of release and resisting arrest. As he was being taken to the Rutland jail, he got away from his escort in the jail parking lot and led police and corrections officers on a chase into the East Creek before being recaptured. He was caught driving a silver 2005 Honda Accord stolen from Curtis Auto Sales in Pittsford and trying to cash a check from the business. Police were already investigating a fire, ruled as arson, and accompanying burglary at the dealership, and detectives said they found items taken from the business in the Honda.

The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an 11-year-old northern New Hampshire girl who's been missing for five days. An FBI agent said at a Saturday afternoon news conference that the reward would also cover information leading to the arrest and prosecution of anyone responsible for Celina Cass' disappearance. Jane Young of the state attorney general's office says a community member was adding a $5,000 reward.

Divers were searching a pond in northern New Hampshire for any sign of Celina Cass. Divers were sent to Back Pond on Sunday morning. The small pond is less than a mile from Celina Cass' home in Stewartstown, where she lives with her mother and stepfather. Authorities aren't leaving "any stone unturned" in the search for the fifth-grader.

The Vermont State Police are currently investigating a theft from a motor vehicle on Quaker Village Road in Weybridge last Friday. A backpack, several electronic items and other goods where taken from a vehicle at the residence. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Vermont State Police New Haven Barracks.

Vermont State Police are currently investigating a larceny from a farm on State's Prison Hollow Road in Monkton on Saturday. Approximately 125 feet of #8 Strand Copper Wire from one of the farm's silos was stolen. The owner was unsure of the estimated value of his stolen copper wire. Anyone with information is asked to contact he Vermont State Police New Haven Barracks. (802-388-4919)

Vermont State Police say they are concerned about a rash of copper thefts at Vermont power sub stations. They say sub stations run by 3 of the state's utilities have all been hit by thieves in the past month. It's a problem Vermont State Police say is becoming more prevalent, and putting lives in danger. And it's not just thieves’ lives that are put in danger, but also the workers who run the sub station.

Vermont State police have arrested two men for second-degree homicide in the slaying of a Bellows Falls woman. Police say the two men have links to the woman. Her body was found in Dummerston Friday morning. Police say drug activity is the likely link for Friday's homicide. Police sources place the two men and the homicide victim, Melissa Barratt, together in Dummerston on Thursday. They have yet to release information on the weapon used or which of the two men allegedly fired the shot. The investigation is ongoing.

A violent crime task force in Vermont is making inroads in investigating firearms trafficking networks that link some of North America's biggest cities through Vermont. The eight-man unit, run by the Vermont office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, includes lawmen from ATF, the Vermont State Police, the Addison County sheriff's department and the U.S. Border Patrol. Established four years ago, it added a Border Patrol representative in 2010. The task force has so far identified three U.S.-to-Canada firearms trafficking organizations and that the addition of the Border Patrol has made both agencies more informed about the flow of illegal drugs and firearms.

Vermont's three members of Congress are opposing plans by the U.S. Postal Service to close 3,600 post office branches across the country, including 14 in Vermont. In a letter to Postal Service commissioners, Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy and Representative Peter Welch say in rural states like Vermont post offices are often the heart and soul of a town and they must not be closed. The delegation says federal law prohibits the Postal Service from closing post offices just because they lose money.

Vermont's Champlain College has a new dean for its business school. He is Dave Strubler, of South Burlington, who was tapped Friday by college President David F. Finney. Strubler spent 16 years at Kettering University, in Michigan. He's also worked for an international automotive research and development center and a small business education company, also in Michigan.

The Burke Mountain ski resort in northern Vermont has installed a wind turbine it hopes will generate 15 to 20% of the mountain's energy needs. Burke Mountain vice president Tim McGuire said that the 121-foot turbine should be online by the end of August. It's expected to produce a little less than 300,000-kilowatt hours.

The Vermont National Guard has announced plans to conduct live firing exercises at its Ethan Allen Firing Range six nights a week through August until midnight. On Sundays, the firing will run from 10Am to 4PM. The Guard says illumination flares may be fired in conjunction with the nighttime exercises. Live ammunition firing is normally conducted daily at Ethan Allen Firing Range during daylight hours.

The seemingly never-ending story of the Cape Wind project is about to be told in 84 minutes of film. "Cape Spin" is the feature-length documentary about Cape Wind, the nation's first offshore wind farm. The battle over Cape Wind has raged since it was proposed in 2001. But the filmmakers say they aimed to separate fact from distortion and let viewers make their own decisions. The film is ready to premiere later this year.

A Ticonderoga man faces felony charges after an investigation revealed he defrauded the Essex County Department of Social Services. The county's Fraud Investigation Unit and the Ticonderoga Police Department arrested 39-year-old Andre Lisee last week. Investigators allege that he submitted an application for public assistance that contained false information. In return, he received almost $4,200 in benefit payments to which he was not entitled. He was issued a criminal summons and is scheduled to appear in Court on August 11th.

Hundreds of bikers turned out to help raise money for families who have loved ones serving overseas on Sunday. More than 200 people took part in the 7th annual Ride for the Guard. The bikers took off Sunday morning from the VFW in Essex Junction. The event collects money for the Vermont Military Assistance Fund. Over the seven years they've raised more than $50,000 dollars. Organizers say they believe it's successful because of the amount of people who serve from the Green Mountain State.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is launching its annual online wild turkey brood survey, and it's asking for input from the public. Director of Wildlife Mark Scott says if you see wild turkeys this month, you can help by reporting your sightings in the survey online. The turkey brood survey will be on the department's website.