WNTK Local News

Vermont State Police are investigating a suspicious death in Thetford, VT, reports the St. Johnsbury State Police Barracks.

Early on December 22, 2019, police responded to report of a burning vehicle on the side of Route 5 in Thetford. Next to the truck was 53-year-old Brian Stephens of Fairlee, VT. Stephens was pronounced dead at the scene, and was transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy.

Although the death appears accidental, the cause of death is pending the results of the autopsy.

The City of Claremont, NH have released their tax rates for 2019, they announce via press release.

According to the release, the new tax rate is $40.26. This is a 4.32% decrease from 2018’s rate. City Manager Ed Morris states that “the reevaluation resulted in a decrease of approximately 1.7%.”

The new tax rates for the City, School, and County are expected to be in the mail for next week.

A Springfield, VT man who was arrested for beating his girlfriend could get life sentence, reports HereCast.

Jason Skibniowsky, 32, was arrested on Tuesday at a gas station after beating his girlfriend and holding her against her will for three days. The victim told police that received her wounds on Saturday night when Skibniowsky beat her with a crowbar.

Upon arriving to the gas station in Weathersfield, police began to question the 32-year-old. When told he was under arrest, he allegedly took off running towards a heavily wooded area. Police were able to subdue him after hitting him with a baton and tasering him.

In October, Skibniowsky was charged with first-degree domestic assault and resisting arrest. He is now charged with first-degree domestic assault with a deadly weapon, first degree aggravated domestic assault, and kidnapping. He’s also being charged with three misdemeanors for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and violating a court-ordered pre-trial release condition.

Skibniowsky is currently being held without bail.

Officials from Lebanon, NH are set to discuss refugee resettlement within the city, reports NBC 5.

Lebanon’s vote stems from President Donald Trump’s September Executive Order requiring state and local governments to give consent to receiving refugees. Governor Chris Sununu gave his blessing to refugees in November. Lebanon city officials will vote, however they state it will mostly be symbolic, as refugees are likelier to settle in larger NH cities.

The vote is expected to happen at the City Council meeting on Wednesday at 7 PM.

Dartmouth College Women’s Track coach Sandy Ford-Centonze has passed away following a battle with cancer, reports the Washington Times.

Ford-Centonze had coached the women’s track program at Dartmouth for 28 years. Prior to this, she coached six seasons at the University of Vermont. Ford-Centonze had been battling cancer for several months, and was in hospice care at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center before her passing this past Saturday at the age of 59.

A memorial service in her honor will be held January 4, 2020 at Dartmouth’s Rollins Chapel in Hanover, NH.

A crash on Interstate 91 Southbound has been proven fatal, reports the Vermont State Police Westminster Barracks.

On Thursday, December 12, at approximately 2 PM, VSP were alerted to a motor vehicle crash on I-91 going through Springfield, VT. An investigation into the accident revealed that a single vehicle, traveling south, went off the road and into several trees resulting in total damage to the Dodge Ram.

The driver, 61-year-old Michael Luurtsema of Springfield, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The crash is believed to have been caused by icy road conditions.

According to NBC 5, changes are soon to come to the highway exit signs in Vermont.

In 2009, the Federal Highway Administration made a mandate requiring highway exit signs to be based on mile points. At this time, VT and most of NH, are still sequential. VTrans plans to fix this by keeping old signs, while adding new ones, to be up to code. The new signs are estimated to be in place by spring 2020, and cost approximately $250,000.

The changes will be made to I-91, I-93, I-89, state Highway 289, US 4 and US 7.

A pair of Enfield, NH men have been arrested for stealing a car in Barre, VT, reports HereCast.

The men were spotted near Exit 6 on Interstate 89 in a vehicle that had been reported stolen from West Lebanon, NH. They were tracked to South Barre Road and pulled over, where they were arrested at gunpoint.

Jacob Guyette, 21, was processed and released with a citation to appear in court while his passenger, 19-year-old Jesse Poirier, was taken into protective custody at the Barre City Police Department.

Court date announced for man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman, reports WCAX.

41-year-old Everett Simpson of St. Johnsbury, VT allegedly kidnapped a woman and her child from the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester on January 4, 2019. Then, according to police, he transported the two back to White River Junction, VT before sexually assaulting the woman in front of her child.

Jury members are now being selected for the trail beginning on March 23 of next year.

Simpson plead not guilty to the above charges.

A Lebanon, NH man has been arrested for First Degree Assault with a Deadly Weapon, reports the Lebanon Police Department.

At approximately noon on Saturday, December 7, 2019, officers received a call stating that a man was threatening citizens with an ax. Upon arriving to the scene, police spoke to 30-year-old Benjamin Cass who claimed to be the victim, and said the two suspects left in a vehicle.

An investigation into the matter found that Cass had threatened the two men with the ax, even cutting the neck of one of the victims. He then hid the ax in a trash can.

Cass has been arrested on counts of; First Degree Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Falsifying Physical Evidence, Unsworn Falsification, and Breach of Bail.

He was transported to the Grafton County House of Corrections to await arraignment.