July 29, 2026:

Vermont's blotters ran heavy on firearms and violence this week. In Bennington, a passenger is charged with attempted murder after the driver of the car he was riding in was found shot following a downtown wreck. A Granville man allegedly fired rounds and then fought the troopers who came for him. In Burlington, two suspects are accused of luring a homeless man into an ambush with a box cutter. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Addison County: Troopers responded July 26 to a reported domestic disturbance involving a firearm on Mountain Road in Monkton. Police say John Mackenzie, 61, of Monkton, injured a household member and put them in fear. He was held without bail at Marble Valley and arraigned the next day on first-degree aggravated domestic assault. Read more

Bennington County: Griford Saupin, 49, is charged with attempted murder and reckless endangerment after a Subaru hit three parked cars at Park and Spring streets on July 25, flipping one onto its roof. Police say Saupin was a passenger and that the 38-year-old driver had been shot. He is hospitalized in Albany and will be taken into custody on release. Read more

Caledonia County: State police arrested Kyle O'Suileabhain, 50, of Lyndonville on July 22 on charges of sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct. Investigators allege the assaults occurred in Lyndonville over a six-year period beginning in 2020. He was ordered held without bail in Caledonia Superior Court. Read more

Chittenden County: Burlington police say Shawntaya Miles, 24, and Tylor Sears, 35, lured a homeless man onto St. Paul Street at about 3 a.m. July 25 intending to rob him. When the victim found $80 missing, a fight broke out and Sears allegedly slashed his face with a box cutter. Both are held without bail. Read more

Franklin County: Troopers called July 24 about an abandoned vehicle on Perley Road in Berkshire identified the operator as Thomas Steinitz, 47, of Richford, who had an active warrant for driving without a license. He was found nearby on Montgomery Road and lodged at Northwest State Correctional Facility on $100 bail. Read more

Grand Isle County: Preliminary findings by the Chief Medical Examiner list the July 14 drowning of an 86-year-old swimmer off North Hero as an accident, per a July 23 update from the county sheriff. The victim was identified as George L. Mitchell of Montreal. A deputy swam out and brought him ashore, but resuscitation failed. Read more

Orange County: Troopers investigating a stolen-vehicle report on Keenan Pond Road in Topsham on July 24 recovered a stolen Ford F-150 and found Joseph Greenwood, 45, in the woods nearby. He faces charges including aggravated operation without owner's consent and possession of stolen property. Read more

Orleans County: Lisa Gaylor, 41, of Barton, the vault supervisor at Jay Peak Resort, was arrested July 22 and charged with embezzlement. Detectives say she removed $2,000 to $6,000 at a time from a secure vault room between fall 2025 and spring 2026, for a known loss of $70,790. She was released on a citation. Read more

Rutland County: John-Henry Hubert, 55, and Kristin Hubert, 48, of Rutland City were processed July 27 after a grand jury indicted them on charges of enabling consumption by minors causing death. The charges stem from a November 2024 crash on Cold River Road in Shrewsbury that killed 17-year-old driver Macy Piersiak of Needham, Mass. Read more

Washington County: Troopers called to a dispute on Barre Hill Road in Plainfield on July 22 determined Jennifer Harman, 57, of Plainfield had violated conditions of release and threatened bodily injury to Michael Partlow, 64. She was lodged at Chittenden County Correctional Complex for lack of $200 bail. Read more

Windham County: State police announced July 24 that Ryan Pierce, 19, of Brattleboro was cited for criminal threatening after troopers investigated electronic threats reported in Dummerston. Investigators determined Pierce sent them to a family member, and he is due in Windham Criminal Division in September. Read more

Vermont State Police:

Williston Barracks — Trespass Arrests at ICE Protest

Troopers arrested 12 people on unlawful trespass charges the morning of July 24 after protesters entered a private Williston building to demonstrate against federal agencies including ICE, which occupy space there alongside businesses and a medical office, and declined the owner's request to leave. Those arrested ranged from 20 to 74; a thirteenth faces juvenile charges. Read more

Royalton Barracks — Armed Man Held Without Bail

Troopers responding July 26 to a report of a man pointing a firearm on Old Stage Road in Granville were told en route that he was firing rounds. Police identified Daniel Mutchler, 42, who allegedly assaulted officers and resisted arrest. He was lodged at Southern State Correctional Facility without bail. Read more

Berlin Barracks — Missing Duxbury Man Found Safe

Clifford Bennett, 74, reported missing July 21, was located safe in Williston about 6:50 p.m. July 22 after troopers circulated photos of his black Volkswagen Tiguan. Read more

Headquarters — Internal Investigation Synopses Released

Public Safety and the State Police Advisory Commission released their semiannual summary of internal investigations on July 22, covering four cases heard from July to December 2025. All four began with concerns raised internally by VSP members; one was founded, and in the other three the trooper left before adjudication. Read more

Our thanks go to the troopers, deputies, and municipal officers who walked toward gunfire this week, pulled a stranger from Lake Champlain, and spent a summer night looking for someone else's missing father.