The Colchester Sun WWW.COLCHESTERSUN.COM
APRIL 14, 2016
VOL. 15 No. 15
Bail denied for Bombard By COLIN FLANDERS The Colchester Sun A judge denied bail for the Williston man accused of shooting a man inside a Colchester apartment in March at a hearing last Thursday. Patrick J. Bombard, 29, is charged with second-degree attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has been held without bail at Northwest State Correctional Facility since pleading not guilty to the felonies via video conference on March 10. Judge A. Gregory Rainville accepted State’s Attorney Bram Kranichfeld’s motion
to deny Bombard bail during a hearing at the Vermont Superior Court – Criminal Division after only hearing two of several witnesses lined up to testify on April 7. Bombard, wearing a white shirt and green pants, entered the court just after 1:30 p.m. with his hands and feet shackled. Various members of his family sat in the gallery roughly 10 feet behind him. It was Bombard’s first public appearance since police say he shot Travis Carl, 36, of Colchester twice — once in the neck and once in the leg. Dr. Loic Fabricant, an acute care surgeon at the University of Vermont Medical Center who treated Carl’s injuries, testified the bullets were a “matter of centimeters” from
hitting one of Carl’s major arteries. The altercation stemmed from a drug debt totaling $70, according to Carl, who was called as the bail hearing’s first witness. His testimony lasted roughly 30 minutes and detailed the events on March 9 before and after the shooting. Carl said Bombard stopped by the College Parkway residence in search of payment for a “bag of pot” he sold Carl a few days prior. Carl, who said he didn’t have the money, went to the ATM at the Days Inn on Route 15 to obtain a receipt to prove it, he said. Bombard remained at the residence –See BOMBARD page 2
And they’re off
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DNA identifies 2014 robbery suspect By COURTNEY LAMDIN Colchester police said DNA analysis led them to arrest a suspect for a 2014 robbery in town. Jamie J. Nelson, 29, of Burlington, was charged with felony assault and robbery last week after police connected his DNA profile to items recovered near the scene of a July 2014 robbery at Maplefields at 77 Route 7 in Colchester, a press release said. Nelson’s Colchester arrest Jamie J. Nelson is also linked with a Burlington robbery case, which used his same DNA profile to charge him with robbery at a Cumberland Farms there in December 2015, police said. In both cases, police collected articles of Nelson’s clothing near the crime scenes, processed by the Vermont Forensic Laboratory, an affidavit says. Back in 2014, a man matching Nelson’s description entered Maplefields just before –See DNA page 2
Georgia man arrested after pursuit Nearly 1,800 runners from Vermont and beyond participated in last Saturday’s RunVermont Unplugged Half-Marathon. The event started at Airport Park in Colchester and proceeded 13.1 miles to Switchback Brewery in Burlington. For more information on the race, see page 9. PHOTO | AMANDA SCHROTH
PFOA testing expands to Chittenden County By JASON STARR The Colchester Sun The groundwater around 10 Chittenden County industrial areas, including Essex and Colchester, will be tested for the presence of a chemical called PFOA, Gov. Peter Shumlin announced last week. The investigation follows the recent detection of the chemical, called perfluorooctanoic acid, in Bennington’s drinking water supply. A suspected carcinogen, PFOA was found in groundwater around a former North Bennington material manufacturing operation called Chemfab. PFOA is not regulated or classified as hazardous by state or federal governments. It was historically used in the manufacturing of non-stick fabrics and surfaces but has since been phased out. The Environmental Protection Agency has in recent years begun to look for PFOA in municipal drinking supplies. –See PFOA page 2
Champlain Cable on Hercules Drive in Colchester is one of 10 industrial sites in Chittenden County around which the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation will be testing groundwater for a contaminant called PFOA. PHOTO | JASON STARR
Town looks to strengthen renewable energy policy Lawmakers consider increased standing for municipalities By JASON STARR The Colchester Sun While debating a resolution that targets more local control over renewable energy projects, members of the Colchester Selectboard confronted the fact the town’s planning documents are largely silent on the issue. The state of Vermont has accelerated permitting of solar and wind projects in recent years through its three-member Public Service Board to stay on track with the goal of its energy plan — to get 90 percent of Vermont’s power from renewable sources by 2050. Many Vermonters, including boards of roughly 100 cities and towns that have signed on to the resolution, believe the state has steamrolled local sentiment to stand up solar arrays and wind farms.
The resolution emanated in Rutland, according to Colchester Selectboard member Jeff Bartley. He raised it for consideration at the board’s March 8 meeting. “The … process … employed by the Public Service Board enables the [board] to disregard and/or avoid the policies and standards of the municipality in which the renewable energy project is to be located,” the resolution states. “The Public Service Board routinely ignores the input and evidence offered by Vermont municipalities.” A bill approved by the Vermont Senate earlier this month, now under consideration in the House, would increase local standing in PSB proceedings. The board currently gives only “due consideration” to guidance in municipal plans regarding siting of renewable energy projects. The bill, S.230, would up the standard to “substantial deference” while also allowing municipal plans to be certified as in accordance with state energy goals by regional planners. The prospect of increased local control –See ENERGY page 3
Bayside Park begins community center plans By JASON STARR The Colchester Sun Colchester residents can expect a mailed survey in May to help determine whether a new community center is warranted near Malletts Bay and lay a foundation for a Bayside Park master plan. The Colchester Parks and Recreation Department contracted with Coloradobased consultant GreenPlay to collect public sentiment and produce a community center needs assessment and siting study, as well as a Bayside Park master plan. The contractors conducted focus groupstyle interviews of Colchester residents over the winter, and and on March 31, in a public forum at Colchester High School, unveiled the ideas they had gathered. About 30 residents –See PLANS page 3
By COURTNEY LAMDIN A Georgia man led Essex police on a pursuit through four Chittenden County towns late last Saturday night, Essex police said. Police attempted stopping 22-year-old Alexander Seagroves for speeding around 10:45 p.m. April 9 on the Susie Wilson bypass, police said. Seagroves failed to stop his Chevrolet Blazer, giving chase through Colchester and Winooski then on Interstate 89 into Milton, a press release said. There, officers deployed a tire deflation device on Route 7, which ended the pursuit when Seagroves pulled over to avoid hitting it, police said. Seagroves, who also had an active arrest warrant, was lodged at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility on citations for gross negligent operation and attempting to elude, police said. Colchester and Winooski police assisted with the incident.
A Greyhound bus is pictured on I-89 after a confrontation with a turkey. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Bus stops cold turkey By COLIN FLANDERS The Colchester Sun A local turkey’s dream of flight was cut short last Sunday morning when it struck a Greyhound bus on Interstate 89 in Colchester. The driver of the Greyhound, 37-yearold Gregory Smith, of Cresco, Penn. told Vermont State Police the turkey had “flown off the ledges” before colliding with the bus, a press release said, resulting in a cracked windshield. Bus patrons were transported off the interstate by another bus and taxis, police said. Fortunately, no humans were injured in the crash. The bird was not as lucky.