There were nasty reminders across Vermont this morning that the
winter driving season is upon us. State police say a 43-year-old Rutland woman died today after
her car spun around on an icy bridge and into oncoming traffic on U.S. Route 7.
A
former Vermont state trooper accused of assaulting two men he
believed had stolen his canoe has applied for unspecified disability benefits
from the state and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The June death of Thetford resident Macadam Mason has focused new
attention on electronic weapons used by state police. Mason died after
being shot by a state police stun gun. The incident has prompted calls
for more oversight of the state police and changes to their use-of-force
policy.
Ten times in the past 18
months, state police fired electronic stun guns at people threatening suicide or
at others experiencing a mental health crisis. That’s according to police records
and video recordings obtained by Vermont Public Radio under the state’s open
records law.
The Vermont State Police are
stepping up patrols in an effort to reduce traffic fatalities across the state.
Law enforcement officers say they’re concerned, because while the number of
crashes is not on the rise this year, the severity of the accidents has gotten
much worse.
Vermont authorities say they will try to collect any
over-payments that may have been made to a former state trooper accused of
falsifying his time sheets.