BRANDON — Fraud and traffic accidents took up a fair amount of police time in the past week, as did several domestic disputes, some medical emergencies and a death investigation.
The week began on Feb. 27 with a report of a sneaker scam on Instagram in which a juvenile male was defrauded out of money after supplying a gift card to an individual online in exchange for a pair of shoes that were never delivered. The Brandon Police Department reminds the public that it is never a sound or prudent idea to use gift cards to pay for anything online from a private individual and/or for a private sale of anything as this is a common tactic used by scam artists to defraud people out of money.
Later in the day officers were told to be on the lookout for a vehicle with a potentially intoxicated driver that was traveling on Route 7 heading south towards the Town of Brandon from Leicester. An officer located the vehicle soon after. When stopped, the driver was found to be sober and capable of driving safely. and was released from the scene with no enforcement action taken.
While on patrol of Feb. 28 police came across a vehicle in a snowbank on Nickerson Road. The vehicle had slid off the road and only sustained very minor damage. No one was injured and a tow truck later pulled the vehicle back out onto the road.
March 1 began with an investigation into an untimely death of a resident of an apartment on Mulcahy Drive by Brandon Police and the Vermont Medical Examiner’s Office. The death appeared to be due to natural causes. In the evening of the same day police got a call from Lion Hill Drive to report a missing person. The person reported missing later called the police department to let them know that she was not missing and that her phone was not working. The family was notified that the person in question had been located and was safe.
A Casella Waste Management truck caught some low-hanging utility lines and damaged some telecommunications lines on Fox Run Road on the morning of March 2. No injuries were reported. Consolidated Communications was informed about the lines. Both the Brandon Fire Department and Green Mountain Power assisted at the scene.
Later in the day police responded to a report of a woman having a seizure at the Center Street Bar on Center Street. When officers and EMS personnel arrived, the woman had already left and had been driven back to her parent’s home on Maple Street by her boyfriend. At her parent’s residence she was evaluated by Brandon Rescue and declined to be transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
A two-car motor vehicle crash involving a passenger car and a tractor/trailer was reported at the intersection of Franklin Street and Park Street, in front of Brandon Free Library, on March 3. No injuries were reported. Investigation of the crash showed that the operator of the tractor/trailer unit failed to use care when starting his vehicle in traffic and as a result, the car making a left-hand turn next to the truck was sideswiped.
In what has become a weekly occurrence, officers responded to a domestic dispute at a residence on River Street in the early evening. The man involved was vacated from the residence via court order. No criminal charges were placed on any party. Close to midnight police and rescue responded to a Heroin overdose at a residence on North Street. They had been called to the same residence several days earlier for the same reason. Narcan was effectively administered to the male that had overdosed by Brandon Area Rescue. He subsequently refused to be transported to the hospital for any further treatment.
A landlord/tenant dispute flared up in the early afternoon of March 4. The landlord had disconnected the tenant’s power because of alleged failure to pay rent. The responding officer informed the landlord that they could not legally turn off the power to the tenant’s trailer and that if they wanted the tenants removed, they would need to address the issue in court through formal eviction proceedings.
Police also launched a fraud investigation on March 4 due to a recent scam that has been targeting Facebook accounts. Scammers are accessing email addresses, logging onto individuals’ Facebook accounts, and creating fake postings of items and puppies for sale Police recommend that your passwords do not match across social media platforms. They also recommended that you monitor your Facebook account and remain vigilant of the ongoing scam.
On March 5 police assisted Brandon Area Rescue with a male on Maple Street who accidentally cut off his finger with a wood splitter. The subject was later transported to the hospital for treatment. They also responded to a traffic hazard on North Birch Hill Road, where a trailer got stuck during the snowstorm. Traffic cones were set out and the Brandon Department of Public works was notified about the hazardous road conditions.
In the evening a concerned parent came into the Brandon Police Department to speak with an officer about her daughter’s ongoing illegal drug use and her concern for the wellbeing of her grandchildren.
In other activity Brandon Police:
ON FEB. 27
• Took fingerprints for a nursing licenses.
• Investigated an Instagram sneaker scam.
• Conducted a ride-along with the Brandon Police Departments intern for educational purposes.
• Received complaint of a possible intoxicated driver on Grove Street.
• Made traffic stops on Grove Street, and Park Street/High Street for speeding, stop sign violation and defective equipment. Three warnings issued.
• Enforced traffic rules on Park Street.
ON FEB. 28
• Conducted a property watch at a residence on Ella Dean Road.
• Investigated a report of an illegally parked car behind Cafe Provence in the Municipal Parking Lot.
• Took fingerprints done for school chaperone and nursing licenses
• Aided a vehicle that had slid off Nickerson Road.
ON MARCH 1
• Conducted a death investigation on Mulcahy Drive.
• Took fingerprints for nursing license and school employment.
• Enforced traffic rules on Park Street.
• Made traffic stops on Marble Street and Conant Square/Champlain Street for defective equipment and failure to yield. Two warnings issued.
• Enforced traffic rules on Conant Square/Champlain Street One operator stopped for a Stop Sign violation and issued a warning.
• Received report of a missing person on Lion Hill Drive.
• Assisted Brandon Area Rescue with a patient lift assist on North Birch Hill Road.
ON MARCH 2
• Responded to a single-vehicle crash on Fox Road near Deer Run Road.
• Conducted a property watch at a residence on Grove Street.
• Took fingerprints for a school chaperone, foster care parents and nursing license.
• Responded to a medical incident on Center Street.
• Enforced traffic rules on Conant Square near Champlain Street. Stopped one driver for a stop sign violation and issued a warning.
ON MARCH 3
• responded to car crash at the intersection of Park Street and Franklin Street
• Received a false burglary alarms from a residence on Furnace Road and from Blue Seal Feedon Alta Woods.
• Conducted a ride-a-long.
• Investigated a report of a tailgating pick-up truck on Route 7 between Brandon and Pittsford.
• Stopped a vehicle on Franklin Street near Otter Valley Union High School for tailgating and issued a ticket.
• Responded to a domestic dispute on River Street.
• Responded to a Heroin overdose at a residence on North Street.
• Served a Temporary Relief From Abuse Order at a residence on River Street.
ON MARCH 4
• Stopped a vehicle on Grove Street for speeding and issued a warning.
• Received two omplaints of a vehicle illegally parked in a handicap space on Park Street.
Responded to a landlaord/tenant dispute on Van Cortland Road.
• Launched a fraud investigation due to a recent scam that has been targeting Facebook accounts.
• Enforced traffic rules at the intersection of Champlain Street and Grove Street.
• Received a motor vehicle complaint on Van Cortland Road.
ON MARCH 5
• Received a false burglary alarm from the American Legion Hall on Franklin Street.
• Assisted Brandon Area Rescue with a male on Maple Street who accidentally cut off his finger with a wood splitter.
• Made traffic stops on Grove Street for speeding and for operating a snowmobile on a public roadway. Two warnings issued.
• Aided with a traffic hazard on North Birch Hill Road.
• Received a walk-in report of dangerous drug use by a Furnace Road resident.
• Began an investigation into a stolen vehicle in Forest Dale.
