Police: Woman mistakenly arranged drug sale with a cop

Rutland Herald

Patrick McArdle | June 28, 2018

By Patrick McArdle
Staff Writer

Perry

A lot went wrong when a Massachusetts woman and her friends allegedly brought cocaine to Vermont to sell, according to Vermont State Police.
Police said one of the women was trying to raise money to bail out a friend, but now she must come up with $5,000 in bail herself.
Worse, the woman contacted someone named Mark, of Mendon, who she thought could purchase 14 grams of crack cocaine, the police affidavit said.
Instead, she contacted Officer Mark Fiore of the Castleton Police Department. Fiore worked with other agencies including Vermont State Police and the Rutland City Police Department.
Sharese C. Perry, 37, of Brockton, Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony charge of possession of more than 2.5 grams of cocaine.
As of 4 p.m. Thursday, Perry was being held in the Rutland jail after failing to post $5,000 in bail.
Trooper Christopher Loyzelle, in an affidavit, said Fiore called VSP Sgt. Lucas Hall on Wednesday to describe the phone call.
Fiore said a woman called him believing he was a different person named Mark, around 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday. The woman said “Barbie” had been arrested Tuesday night in Quincy, Massachusetts, and “she needed to come up with $5,000 to make Barbie’s bail,” Fiore said.
The woman, who called herself Kim, asked if Mark would buy crack cocaine if she brought it to Rutland.
Affidavits filed in the case aren’t clear regarding who called Fiore. Three people, including Perry, were in the car that was stopped in a parking lot Thursday but none were named Kim, according to affidavits.
Loyzelle’s affidavit said Fiore “entertained Kim’s request” and agreed to meet her at a commercial parking lot on Route 4 in Rutland at 10 p.m. Wednesday to complete the sale.
Fiore said Kim had asked why they couldn’t meet at his house and he said he didn’t want his neighbors to become suspicious.
Police set up surveillance in the parking lot. When a car came to the parking lot around 12:40 a.m. on Thursday, Hall and Loyzelle approached and spoke to the driver, Monique Chire Hinton-Henry.
Loyzelle said a woman in the backseat, later identified as Perry, was holding two cell phones, one of them operating a program that provides driving directions.
A third woman, Audrey Franklin, was in the front seat, Loyzelle said.
Perry and Franklin said they didn’t know why they were in Vermont and were “just asked to go for a ride” and believed they were going to a ski resort, Loyzelle said.
While at the parking lot, Rutland Police Officer Nathan Harvey and his K-9 Unit, Cobalt, conducted a search. Cobalt alerted to the presence of narcotics, Harvey said.
Loyzelle said when police took the three women to the Rutland barracks, Franklin agreed to speak to police. She said “they smoked crack the entire ride to Vermont,” the affidavit said.
“She advised the plan was to have (the other Mark) give them the money they needed or get paid to perform a sexual favor,” Loyzelle said.
After obtaining a search warrant, police allegedly found 13.8 grams of crack cocaine Loyzelle said Perry had hidden inside her body.
At Perry’s arraignment Thursday, attorney Chris Davis, who represented Perry, asked Judge Thomas Zonay to consider an unsecured bond or a bond for which Perry would have to post a percentage of the total.
Deputy Rutland County State’s Attorney Daron Raleigh asked Zonay to set bail at $10,000.
Zonay told Davis he had considered a bail that might be easier to post, but said he thought $5,000 was necessary because Perry had no ties to Vermont and had allegedly come to Vermont for the sole purpose of selling drugs.

1. alpha1six says:

   June 29, 2018 at 6:19 am

   Great job Mark and the VSP. The more of this trash you can get off the streets the safer everyone will be. Now if the courts would only impose serious sentences to keep them in prison for 20 plus years.
   One of the better stories of the morning.
   

   Reply
2. MW says:

   June 29, 2018 at 9:19 am

   They should be looking into who the other “Mark” is. He obviously has ties to this trash. Great job to the local law enforcement and congratulations to Officer Fiore who made it happen!

A Utah man planned on building a massive development in Vermont inspired by Joseph Smith. Not anymore.

Boston Globe
June 29, 2018
by Lisa Rathke
 

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A Utah businessman is abandoning plans for a massive development in four rural Vermont towns based on the papers of Mormon founder Joseph Smith after fierce opposition to the project.

David Hall’s family foundation NewVistas had been buying land near Smith’s birthplace in Sharon, Vermont, for what he described as an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable development with housing for 20,000 people many years in the future.

A local group was formed to fight the plans. The towns and the legislature also voted against the project, which didn’t dissuade Hall at the time.

On Tuesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced it had put the towns — Royalton, Sharon, Strafford and Tunbridge — on ‘‘watch status’’ because of the proposal.

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That was a ‘‘genius move’’ by the groups opposing the project, Hall said Wednesday. ‘‘I’m just kind of tired of the drama and worn out. … I’m a smart enough businessman to realize when I’m beat.’’

Hall had expected locals to be opposed the plans at first but hoped they would grow more accustomed to the idea as other projects are built. Many residents in the rural, mountainous region with a total population of about 6,600 believed such a large-scale development would change the character of their small communities, tax resources and limit access to recreational areas and mountain views. The Mormon church had also denounced his plans in Vermont and for another community in Utah.

Hall said he is focused on doing test buildings and test villages in an industrial park in Provo, Utah. ‘‘An actual community is way off still,’’ he said.

In Vermont, he wants to sell the 1,500 acres he’s purchased in the four towns. ‘‘Hopefully I can find an investment group that will take it on and adopt the local plan instead of my dream,’’ he said.

Michael Sacca, head of the group formed to fight the project, the nonprofit Alliance for Vermont Communities, said he’s very pleased with the outcome.

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‘‘This has been an amazing amount of effort by a lot of people,’’ he said.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation said Wednesday that it was relieved to learn that the towns were ‘‘potentially safe from inappropriate development.’’

‘‘We will continue observing the area in the coming weeks and months, and we hope the future of these land parcels is in keeping with the historic character, community interests, and conservation spirit of these towns and Vermont as a whole,’’ said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO.

Killington no longer assesses; 1 percent option tax on sales, July 1

Mountain Times
June 27, 2018

By Polly Mikula
KILLINGTON — On Sunday, July 1, Killington businesses will no longer be obligated to collect a 1 percent option tax on sales, ending a 10-year local tax.
Killington is first and only town in the state to rescind a local option tax, Doug Farnham, policy director for the state department of taxes confirmed, Tuesday, June 26. “If businesses accidentally collect the tax after July 1, they should absolutely remit it to the state, unless it can be refunded to the customer,” Farnham advised. Customers who pay the sales portion of the option tax in Killington after July 1 can request a refund directly through the state tax department, he explained.
The 1 percent option taxes on sales (as well as on room, meals and alcohol) were adopted in Killington in 2008.
Rescinding the local option sales tax passed by 9 votes on Town Meeting Day in March 2017, by a vote of 203 to 194. It will go into effect July 1. (The 1 percent local option tax on rooms, meals and alcohol will continue and was not part of the vote). 
Rescinding the sales portion of the local option tax was strongly supported by Killington Resort and the Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA), which actively spread information to help voters understand the benefits of rescinding the tax.
Mike Solimano, Killington Resort president and general manager, told the Select Board that the resort paid $3.9 million in local option taxes from 2008-2014 — $1.3 million for the rooms and meals portion of the tax and $2.6 million in the sales and use portion.
The average Killington resident paid approximately $50 in sales option taxes per year, according to former Town Manager Seth Webb.
As with all local option taxes, the state keeps 30 percent of the money collected with 70 percent being returned to the town.
To make up for the approximate $450,000 deficit in the town’s general fund, the plan was for many of the town’s events and marketing responsibilities to be transferred to the KPAA with the resort helping produce those events and marketing them as well as invest in its own summer tourism infrastructure and events with the money it will save from this tax being rescinded.
KPAA Director Mike Coppinger, who took over that position seven months ago (well after the vote was passed), said the resort and KPAA have split responsibilities for running events formerly produced or sponsored by the town. “I’d say it’s about an 80/20 split with the resort taking on 80 percent of the events,” he said. “The KPAA will continue to run the Wine Festival and Holiday Festival and help recruit volunteers for other events,” Coppinger said.
“We are not receiving any extra funding from the town or the resort,” he continued. “We’re a self-sustaining organization that operates based on member dues and sponsorships, primarily.”
Rob Megnin, director of sales and marketing for Killington Resort, confirmed the same. “We’ve taken it all on: the Stage Race, AJGA, Cooler in the Mountains, Downhill Throwdown, and many more,” he said. “If you look at our events schedule this summer, you’ll see just how much it’s grown… additionally we’ve had to hire more staff to manage these events.”
“We’re looking to the summer for growth,” Megnin continued. “That’s our commitment.”

 Comment: Can we stop perpetuating this myth that the Resort "paid" all these millions in one percent tax. What the Resort actually did was remit millions of one percent tax that they collected from their patrons mostly when they purchased lift tickets. The Resort itself only paid about $70,000 per year, ,mostly on the electricity they used.
Vito

Board Keeps District’s Food Services Local

Vermont Standard

June 14, 2018
By Curt Peterson
Standard Correspondent

The Windsor Central Modified Unified Union School District Board voted unanimously Monday night to accept an in-house proposal to provide food services for all of the schools now combined in the consolidated district.

The projected cost will be $169,000, according to Richard Seaman, director of finance and operations.

Two other proposals from outside vendors were rejected by the WCMUUSD Board. The Abbey Group, of Enosberg Falls, bid $151,000. Fresh Picks Café, with an office in Manchester, NH, bid $154,000.

In spite of the almost 12-percent higher cost for the in-house proposal relative to The Abbey Group, Seaman said, “the numbers are very close.”

Seaman said he analyzed the numbers carefully to make sure the board was “comparing apples to apples,” and pointed out that the schools provide breakfast, as well as lunch, for many of the students.

More than a dozen members of the public, focused on the food service issue, packed the small conference room, but the topic was not controversial – everyone who spoke prefaced their remarks with support for the in-house proposal, presented by Gretchen Czaja, who will become director of food services. Czaja has been responsible for the food program at Woodstock Elementary School for some time.

Patrick Crowl, owner of Woodstock Farmer’s Market, applauded Czaja’s ambition.

“She has shown amazing initiative,” Crowl said. “The community should support her efforts.”

The board had approved a budget of $100,000 for food services – a reduction from $300,000 the combined schools had been spending on food services prior to consolidation. Seaman pointed out this creates a $50,000 $70,000 deficit in the budget.

Windsor Central Supervisory Union representative Pamela Fraser (Barnard), also supporting the in-house proposal, expressed concern about the budget deficit.

“This board voted to reduce food service costs by $200,000, and we failed to do so,” Fraser said. “By approving this proposal, are we saying that vote was meaningless? Who is going to be accountable to the taxpayers?”

WCMUUSD board member Matt Stover of Woodstock related the quality of food to education.

“At $300,000 a year, our per-student food service costs were the highest in the state,” Stover said. “The $200,000


savings in the budget was an ambitious goal – these proposals are the reality. It’s a concern, but quality food should bring better educational outcomes.”

Czaja said the kitchens will put only the best and local ingredients into the school meals as far as possible. With real-time technology, she will be able to monitor what goes into the meals at each school, and what it costs. And, with the meals, Czaja said, students will be educated every day about the importance of eating healthy foods.

Seaman said if more students’ families completed the “Free or Reduced Cost” meal subsidy eligibility form, there would be additional federal funding available to help offset the budget deficit. Participation in the program statewide is around 20 percent of students, but should probably be a lot higher, he said. The forms are available at the schools.

Board member Jim Haff of Killington, also in favor of Czaja’s proposed program, said nonetheless he is concerned about the exact job description for her new position as director, and the cost of technology required to oversee the network.

Board Chair Paige Hiller of Woodstock said Superintendent Mary Beth Banios will be designing Czaja’s job description and will submit it to the board for review in September.

Banios cautioned that educational programming should not suffer in any way in order to make up the food service deficit.

Bryce Sammel, WCSU representative from Barnard, added a point about the budget.

“I’d like to point out,” Sammel said, “that $200,000 is less than onehalf of one percent of our annual budget. It’s good that we’re having this discussion, but we shouldn’t be worried about making up the deficit – all budgets are subject to adjustments.”

Killington condo association fined $19.5K for failing drinking water system inShare

Tue, 06/12/2018 - 10:22am --

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources’ Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that Hemlock Ridge at Killington Owners Association, Inc, a condominium complex in Killington, was fined $19,500 for many years of failing to properly manage and maintain the public drinking water system supplying the complex.
Public community water systems in Vermont are systems that provide drinking water to a range of users, from systems that provide drinking water to condominium users, like the water system serving Hemlock Ridge at Killington condominiums, to systems that provide drinking water to residents in the largest municipalities in the State. Regardless of size, managing a public drinking water system comes with the responsibility to maintain water quality standards and protect public health. DEC oversees public water systems by issuing permits, completing inspections, and reviewing water quality reports. The Division also provides resources and guidance about routine sampling to measure water quality and how to manage emergencies.
“Protecting the quality of Vermont’s drinking water means that we take care of the resource from source to tap,” says Emily Boedecker, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. “From protecting groundwater sources to requiring safe water lines and equipment—the whole process is critical to maintaining public health.”
Water quality sampling performed at the water system serving Hemlock Ridge at Killington condominiums produced results which more often than not were above the maximum contaminant level allowed for radium. While radium is naturally-occurring, when it exceeds the maximum contaminant level, it can adversely affect the health of the users. In 2010, during a routine inspection, DEC also determined that the age and integrity of the water storage tank serving the system was of concern and that the tank was nearing the end of its useful life. DEC required the water system to submit plans to install treatment to address radium contamination and to replace the water storage tank.
Additionally, in September 2012, the water system’s lead levels exceeded the federal action level. The most common source of lead in drinking water is from corrosion of plumbing components that contain lead. If lead levels exceed the action level, a water system must perform a series of several activities, including notifying and providing lead education materials to its users. The water system serving Hemlock Ridge at Killington condominiums did not follow the required directives in a timely manner.
As a result of DEC’s enforcement efforts, Hemlock Ridge at Killington Owners Association, Inc. has provided lead education materials to water system users and identified a potential corrosion control measure that can be taken by the water system should the lead action level be exceeded in the future. The water system is also working toward the installation of treatment to address elevated radium concentrations and the replacement of the failing water storage tank. The water system agreed to a $19,500 fine for these longstanding violations, an amount that was approved by the Vermont Superior Court Environmental Division on May 9, 2018. The water system has until September to submit final designs and apply for a permit to install radium treatment and to construct a new water storage tank.
For more information about DEC’s Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division, including information about radium, lead, and other contaminants (link is external), in drinking water visit http://dec.vermont.gov/water/drinking-water (link is external).

Killington condo association fined for drinking water violations

Posted: Tue 11:59 AM, Jun 12, 2018

KILLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) A condominium complex in Killington faces fines for failing to maintain its drinking water system.
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources announced Tuesday that Hemlock Ridge at Killington Owners Association was fined almost $20,000 for many years of failing to properly manage and maintain the public drinking water system supplying the complex.
The violations include alleged high levels of radium and failing to replace an aging storage tank.

Vail Continues East Coast Expansion With Deal To Buy Okemo And Mount Sunapee Resorts

By Liam Elder-Connors • 3 hours ago

VPR News

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  Vail Resorts announced Monday it is buying Triple Peaks, LLC, the parent company of Okemo and Mount Sunapee resorts. With this deal, Vail will own three ski resorts on the East Coast.

  Okemo Mountain Resort, courtesy

Vail Resorts is acquiring two more East Coast ski mountains: Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont and Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire.
The company is set to pay $82 million to buy Triple Peaks, LLC, the parent company of Okemo and Mount Sunapee. The deal also includes Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado.
In a separate deal, also announced on Monday, Vail is buying Stevens Pass Resort in Washington state for $67 million.
Vail runs 11 ski resorts that are primarily based out west. Last year, the company bought Stowe Mountain Resort, its first mountain on the East Coast.
The deals are expected to close this summer, according to Vail. The company also said it plans to keep the majority of the purchased resorts' current employees.