Press Releases

On Saturday April 27th the Windham County Sheriff’s Office, working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and in coordination with local law enforcement agencies and prevention coalitions serving Windham County, will participate in the 17TH National Drug Take Back Day. This initiative gives the communities the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Please keep in mind the DEA cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
Disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazard!
Bring your medications for disposal on Saturday April 27th to any of the following locations:
-Windham County Sheriff's Office - 11 Jail St, Newfane
-Brattleboro Police Dept.- 62 Black Mtn Rd #101, Brattleboro
-Bellows Falls Police Dept.- 170 Rockingham St, Bellows Falls
-Wilmington Police Department- 2 E. Main St, Wilmington
-Dover Police Department- 245 VT 100, Dover
*All locations listed have permanent drop boxes located in the agencies lobby, and it is available for pill disposal during open lobby hours, no questions asked.

Please contact Lieutenant Jessica Fellows at (802)365-4942 or at jfellows@windhamcountyvt.gov for more information.

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Incident: 19WHC001620
Date: 03/22/19
Location: Exit 4 91 North
Investigating Deputy: Deputy Devito

Accused: Gary J. Gagne
Age: 48
City & State of Residence: Brattleboro Vermont

Charges: DUI

Description:
On 03/22/19 at approximately 2141 hours The Windham County Sheriff's Office arrested Gary J. Gagne of Brattleboro Vermont for DUI. The Deputy on duty observed a moving violation and conducted a motor vehicle stop in the parking lot of the Putney Inn. The subsequent investigation lead to Gagne's arrest. Gagne was transported to the Vermont State Police barracks in Westminster for processing. Gagne was released on citation to appear at the Windham County Superior Court Criminal Division at a later date and time to answer for the charge.

Court Date: 04/09/19
Bail: N/A

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Incident: 19WHC001699
Date:3-27-19
Location: Rt-9, Marlboro
Investigating Deputy: Michael Roj

Accused:Jasmine K. Brock
Age: 28
City & State of Residence: Pownal VT

Charges: Driving with license suspended

Description: Deputy Roj conducted a vehicle stop for a moving violation on Rt-9 in the town of Marlboro VT. Investigation revealed operator Brock's privilege to operator was criminally suspended. She was charged with the offense of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. She was released with a citation to appear in Brattleboro court on 5-7-19

Court Date: 5-7-19
Bail: None

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Incident: 19WHC001748
Date: 3/29/2019
Location: Westminster VT
Investigating Deputy: Cpl. J. Griffus

Accused: Keith Wyman
Age: 56
City & State of Residence: Swanzey, NH

Charges: Driving with a criminally suspended license

Description: On 3/29/2019 at approximately 17:45 hours, the Windham County Sheriff's Office conducted a motor vehicle stop in the Town of Westminster. That stop led to the arrest of Keith Wyman, 56 of Swanzey, NH for driving with a criminally suspended license. Wyman was cited to appear at the Vermont Superior Court Windham Criminal Division to answer to the charge.

Court Date: 5/7/2019
Bail: N/A

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Incident: 19WHC001775
Date: 03/31/19
Location: Main St Putney
Investigating Deputy: Deputy Devito

Accused: Taylor T. Butler
Age: 36
City & State of Residence: Dummerston Vermont

Charges: DUI Drugs

Description: On 03/31/19 at approximately 2152 hours the Windham County Sheriff's Office arrested Taylor T. Butler of Dummerston, Vermont for driving under the influence of Drugs. The Deputy on duty observed a moving violation and conducted a motor vehicle stop. The resulting investigation led to Butler's arrest. Butler was transported to the Vermont State Police Barracks in Westminster for processing and released on citation to appear in the Windham County Superior Court Criminal Division at a later date and time to answer to the charge of DUI Drugs.

Court Date: 05/28/19
Bail: N/A

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Incident: 19WHC001895
Date: 04/07/19
Location: RT9 Marlboro
Investigating Deputy: DFC Devito

Accused: Elijah D. Allen
Age: 29
City & State of Residence: Jacksonville Vermont

Charges: DUI

Description: On 04/07/19 at approximately 2028 hours the Windham County Sheriff's Office arrested Elijah D. Allen of Jacksonville, Vermont for DUI. The Deputy on duty observed a moving violation and conducted a motor vehicle stop. The resulting investigation lead to Allen's arrest. Allen was transported to the Wilmington Police Department for processing. Allen was released on citation to appear at the Windham County Superior Court Criminal Division at a late date and time to answer for the charge of DUI.

Court Date: 05/07/19
Bail: N/A

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Incident: 19WHC001488
Date: 03/21/19
Location: Dummerston
Investigating Deputy: Deputy Devito

Accused: Daniel JN Kenny
Age: 25
City & State of Residence: Putney Vermont

Charges: DLS and Possession of Hashish

Description:
On 03/17/19 at approximately 1241 hours the Windham County Sheriff's Office arrested Daniel JN Kenny of Putney Vermont for driving with criminally suspended license and possession of over 5 grams of hashish. The Deputy on duty observed a equipment violation and conducted a motor vehicle stop. The subsequent investigation resulted in Kenny's arrest. Kenny was cited and released to appear at the Windham County Superior Court Criminal Division at a later date and time.

Court Date: 04/23/19
Bail: N/A

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Incident:19WHC001500
Date: 3/18/2019
Location: Westminster
Investigating Deputy: Cpl. J. Griffus

Accused: Raelene Smith
Age:46
City & State of Residence: Marlow, NH

Charges: Driving Under the Influence

Description: On 3/18/2019 at approximately 15:18 hours, the Windham County Sheriff's Office conducted a motor vehicle stop on Back Westminster Rd. As a result of that stop, Raelene Smith, 46, of Marlow NH, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. Smith was cited to appear at the Vermont Superior Court Windham Criminal Division to answer to the charge.

Court Date: 4/2/2019
Bail: N/A

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NEWFANE, VT - After almost 30 years in police work, I have decided to retire from law enforcement and as Sheriff of Windham County, effective June 30, 2019. This follows much discussion with family, colleagues, and close friends. My wife, as some of you know, has been working in North Carolina for some time now, and we are both looking forward to again sharing the same roof. That being said, this has been a tough decision for me. Being Sheriff has been the single most rewarding of all my various law enforcement jobs.

I have notified the Governor’s Office, the Vermont Sheriff’s Association, and the Executive Director of the States Attorney’s and Sheriffs of my decision. My confidence in so doing is buoyed by the leadership qualifications of my current second-in-command, Captain Mark Anderson, who has worked closely with me for many years and already currently handles many of the day to day operational duties. Of course, it is up to the Governor to appoint my replacement, but I am confident he could not improve on Capt. Anderson.

I am looking forward to new opportunities and challenges. I wish my very best to all the staff at WCSO and will continue to watch their development and growth from afar. I would like to add my thanks to the citizens of Windham County, who have supported me and the WCSO over the past twelve-plus years. I hope they will be as supportive and patient with my replacement as they have been with me.


Media Contact:
Sheriff Keith Clark
802-365-4942

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2019 U DRIVE. U TEXT. U PAY. CAMPAIGN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28th, 2019
CONTACT: Captain Mark Anderson, 802-365-4942 – manderso@windhamcountyvt.gov

Windham County, VT — Over the past decade, distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of vehicle crashes on our nation’s roads. The Windham County Highway Safety Task Force are encouraging drivers to put down the phone and remember: U Drive. U Text. U Pay. In support of April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Windham County Highway Safety Task Force will be partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from April 11 to April 15, 2019, for the national U Drive. U Text. U Pay. high-visibility enforcement effort. The goal of the campaign is to step up enforcement efforts to catch distracted drivers and enforce distracted-driving laws.
According to NHTSA, between 2012-2017, nearly 20,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. In fact, there were 3,166 people killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017. While this represents a 9 percent decrease in distracted driving fatalities from 2016 to 2017, there is clearly more work to be done.

Over the years, millennials have become the biggest texting-while-driving offenders, using their cell phones to talk, text, and scroll through social media while behind the wheel. According to NHTSA, young drivers 16- to 24-years-old have been observed using handheld electronic devices while driving at higher rates than older drivers since 2007. In fact, in 2017, 8 percent of people killed in teen (15-19) driving crashes died when those teen drivers were distracted at the times of the crashes. And female drivers are most at-risk for being involved in a fatal crash involving a distracted driver.

“It seems that every day, you can look out of your car’s window and see a driver using their cell phone,” says Deputy First Class Michael Roj. “People know texting and driving is dangerous and illegal, but they do it anyway, and it puts others at risk. Beginning April 11, you will see increased law enforcement efforts, as officers will be stopping and ticketing anyone who is caught texting and driving. If you text and drive, you will pay.”

Violating Vermont’s distracted-driving laws can be costly. Penalties can range from $162 up to $507 depending on circumstances and up to five points.

An analysis by the AAA Foundation of 2009-2012 data found that while more than 80 percent of drivers believed it was completely unacceptable for a motorist to text behind the wheel, more than a third of those same drivers admitted to reading text messages while operating a passenger motor vehicle themselves.

“We all have cell phones, and we’re all on them all the time,” said Highway Safety Coordinator, Captain Mark Anderson. “But when you drive, you have one responsibility: Drive safely and responsibly. Do the right thing—put your phone away when you get behind the wheel. The bottom line is this: If your attention is anywhere other than on the road, you’re driving distracted, and you’re driving dangerous. Save yourself the embarrassment and expense of getting pulled over. Plus, you just may save someone’s life.”

Drive Safe Every Trip

The Windham County Highway Safety Task Force and NHTSA urge you to put your phone down when you get behind the wheel. If you need to text, then pull over and do not drive while doing so. If you’re driving, follow these steps for a safe driving experience:

•If you are expecting a text message or need to send one, pull over and park your car in a safe location. Once you are safely off the road and parked, it is safe to text.
•Designate your passenger as your “designated texter.” Allow them access to your phone to respond to calls or messages.
•Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving. Cell phone use can be habit-forming. Struggling to not text and drive? Put the cell phone in the trunk, glove box, or back seat of the vehicle until you arrive at your destination.

Texting while driving is dangerous and illegal. Break the cycle.

Remember: U Drive. U Text. U Pay.

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