Press Releases

Incident: 20WHC003033
Date: 08/31/20
Location: I-91 N/B near MM 15/8 in Dummerston
Investigating Deputy: Sgt. Norton

Accused: Sara Jefferson
Age: 22
City & State of Residence: Burlington, VT

Charges: Negligent Operation of Motor Vehicle & Excessive Speed

Description: Sara Jefferson was arrested by the Windham County Sheriff's Office following a traffic stop for speeding (100 mph in 65 mph speed zone) on I-91 near MM 15/8 in Dummerston. Sara was released on a citation to appear in the Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division at a later date.

Court Date: 10/06/20
Bail: N/A

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Incident: 20WHC003022
Date: 08/30/20
Location: VT Route 11 in Windham
Investigating Deputy: Sgt. Norton

Accused: Jesse Kendall
Age: 22
City & State of Residence: Londonderry, VT

Charges: Driving w/o a License-Criminal & Warrant for FTA

Description: On 08/30/20 at approximately 1150 hours Jesse Kendall was arrested by the Windham County Sheriff's Office following a traffic stop for speeding on VT Route 11 in Windham. During the stop it was determined that Jesse had a Windham County cite and release warrant for failing to appear in court on 08/18/20 to answer to the charge of Driving w/o a License-Criminal. It was also determined that Jesse had on this date been driving w/o a license as well. Jesse was released on two citations to appear in the Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division at later dates.

Court Date: Warrant- 08/30/20 / No License- 10/06/20
Bail: N/A

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Incident: 20WHC003065
Date of Incident: 09/03/2020
Location of Incident: Dummerston, Vermont
Deputy: Dep. Keilig

Accused: Reginald M. Kelley
Age: 50
City & State of Residence: Londonderry, VT

Charges: Fugitive from Justice

Description of Incident: On 09/03/2020 at approximately 1519 hours the Windham County Sheriff's Office arrested Reginald M. Kelley for being a Fugitive from Justice following a traffic stop for speeding on Schoolhouse Rd in Dummerston. Kelley was lodged at the Southern State Correctional Facility for lack of bail. Kelley is scheduled to appear at the Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division at a later date and time to answer for the charge

Court Date: 09/04/2020
Bail: $50,000

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Incident: 20WHC003046
Date: 9/2/2020
Location: Putney
Investigating Deputy: Detective Sgt. Jessica Fellows

Accused: William Tayler
Age: 67
City & State of Residence: Putney, Vermont

Charges: 2nd Degree Aggravated Domestic Assault

Description: On September 2,2020 the Windham County Sheriff's Office arrested William Tayler of Putney, Vermont for the above charges. The Deputy on duty received a report from a female party regarding incidents of domestic abuse. Subsequent investigation lead to Williams' arrest. Williams was served a criminal citation to appear in the Vermont Superior Court Windham Criminal Division the next day to answer for the charges.

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PRESS RELEASE- Windham County Sheriff’s Office

NATIONAL LABOR DAY DUI MOBILAZATION

Date: 08/19/2020 TO 09/07/2020

DUI PATROLS

The Windham County Highway Safety Task Force consisting of the Windham County Sheriff's Office, the Brattleboro Police Department, the Bellows Falls Police Department and the Dover Police Department will be conducting saturation patrols throughout the county during the Labor Day DUI Mobilization period, August 19th through September 7th, 2020. During this time period officer and deputies will make an aggressive effort to identify and remove impaired driver from our highways. Officers and deputies will also be aggressively targeting seatbelt/child restraint violations, aggressive operation and usage of handheld electronic devices. Remember #DriveSober or Get Pulled Over.


Contact Name & Info:

Sgt. Chris Norton
Windham County Sheriff’s Office
cnorton@windhamcountyvt.gov
(802) 365-4942

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WindhamCountyHSTF

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Incident: 20WHC002654
Date: 8/2/2020
Location: Route 30/Route 100, Jamaica
Investigating Deputy: Deputy Greg Keilig

Charges Investigated: Unlawful Mischief, Disorderly Conduct, Hate-motivated Crime enhancement

Description: The Windham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating graffiti reported in the morning of Sunday, August 2nd, 2020. Three males were reported spray painting in the intersection of Rt 30 and Rt 100 in the Town of Jamaica with the phrase “White is right BLDM.” The phrase “BLM” was spray painted over that. The Vermont Agency of Transportation has been notified. Anyone with information regarding the identities of the individuals involved are asked to contact Deputy Greg Keilig at 802-365-4942.

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Incident: 20WHC00002485
Date: July 22, 2020
Location: Main St, Putney
Investigating Deputy: Detective Sgt. Jessica Fellows

Description:
On July 22, 2020 it was reported to Windham County Sheriff's Office that someone had spray painted, "BLM is Racist" in the south bound travel lane in the area of the Putney Post Office. The word "Racist" had been painted over and a heart had been sprayed around the word. The spray painting took place early Wednesday morning possibly between the hours of 6am-8am.

WCSO is actively investigating this incident. If you were in the area and witnessed any suspicious behavior, have any video recordings or photos, whether it be security footage or cell phone recordings, please contact Det. Sgt. Jessica Fellows at (802)365-4942.

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Incident: 20WHC002403
Date: 07/14/20
Location: I-91 S/B near MM 21/5 in Putney
Investigating Deputy: Sgt. Norton

Accused: Vincent Acevedo
Age: 36
City & State of Residence: Westfield, VT

Charges: 1) Excessive Speed

Description: On 07/14/20 Vincent Acevedo was arrested by the Windham County Sheriff's Office after he was observed traveling southbound at 98 mph in the posted 65 mph speed zone. He was released with a VCVC for the civil speeding violation, another VCVC for No License after it was found he was suspended out of the State of Florida, and a citation to appear in the Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division at a later date for the criminal Excessive Speed violation.

Court Date: 09/15/20
Bail: N/A

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Incident: 20WHC002175 & 20WHC002076
Date: 06/28/20
Location: VT Route 30, Newfane Village
Investigating Deputy: Sgt. Norton

Accused #1: Miteshkum Patel
Age: 20
City & State of Residence: Jersey City, NJ

Accused #2: Vinay Kathiria
Age: 21
City & State of Residence: Belleville, NJ

Charges: 1) Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
2) Excessive Speed

Description: On 06/28/20 at approximately 1205 hours the Windham County Sheriff's Office arrested Miteshkum Patel and Vinay Kathiria after Sgt. Norton observed the two vehicles they were operating pass the line of cars they were following and accelerate to 67 mph in the posted 30 mph speed zone in the village. Following the traffic stop both operators were released on citations to appear in the Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division at a later date. Both were also issued civil traffic tickets for the speed violations. The speed violations carry a possibility of 8 points on their VT privilege to operate and a waiver penalty of $558.

Court Date: 08/25/20
Bail: N/A

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Like so many of you, I have been trying to understand the policing issues and actions that have been highlighted across the nation for the past three weeks. As the Sheriff of Windham County, I lead a department that strives to build relationships on a foundation of respect and on trust so that we can serve our communities in a fair and impartial manner. I can speak for all members of the Windham County Sheriff’s Office in saying we condemn the actions and inactions of the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd. But condemnation is not enough. As law enforcement professionals, we must be listening constantly to you in communities that we serve; communities of which we are also members. I do not have the answers to explain the behavior that we have witnessed in Minneapolis, but I am willing to explore the problems as they appear here in Windham County, and to work with you to collectively develop better policy, training, and practice.

A common theme I’ve picked out of the conversations is an “us versus them” dynamic. Like many people I’ve talked to, I see division of friends, neighbors, and community members. I also see it in national politics, a variety of media coverage, and on social media. There is in-fighting amongst us over a variety of serious issues including climate change, systemic racism, and constitutional rights. Those of us educated in the philosophy of community policing know that “us versus them” is one of the most important obstacles to overcome.

Today’s philosophy of community policing has its origins in the 1829 British Metropolitan Police Service and with Sir Robert Peel. Peel understood that the success of the Metro Police was not dependent on the conquering of the criminal, but on cooperation, trust, and being on the same team as the people they served. One of Peel’s principles stated in part, “the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”

It is not hard for me to stand in solidarity against police brutality. It violates the trust we work hard to build and maintain. I stand here seeking to answer the questions of how we find unity? Does the professional ethic of the Windham County Sheriff’s Office meet the needs of our community? Does the law enable or exclude us from being part of the community? These and other questions are what I seek to answer moving forward by creating the Sheriff’s Advisory Council.

In the next article, I’ll talk about how the community policing model implemented at the Windham County Sheriff’s Office works, our policies, training, and philosophies, and what we’ve done to work towards unity over the last fifteen years. I believe that before my department and the community can implement change, our stakeholders must have an understanding of where we currently stand.

Mark Anderson was appointed as the sheriff of Windham County in July 2019, having worked with the department since 2004. He is a member of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council and previously certified as a use of force instructor and a field training officer. If you would like to share a prospective related to this, please contact him at sheriff (at) windhamcountyvt.gov.

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