By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CHESTER, Vt. — A Baltimore man was arrested for felony charges of possession of stolen property and methamphetamine, after officers found six grams of the drug, as well as about $1,000 worth of stolen tools stemming from an earlier incident in Chester.
According to a press release by the Chester Police Department, Nicholas Thompson, 31, of Baltimore, Vermont, was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property greater than $900 and possession of methamphetamine greater than 2.5 grams. Both charges are felonies, and Thompson has been cited to appear in Windsor County Superior Court- Criminal Division on March 11.
On Jan. 8 at 2:30 p.m., the Chester Police Department and seven assisting agencies responded to 39 Baltimore Road in Baltimore, Vermont, to execute a search warrant in connection with a case out of Chester, where a truck and tools were stolen on Dec. 29. The truck had been recovered the night of the day it was stolen, at the location being searched.
There was a large amount of tools missing, according to Chester Police Chief Thomas Williams, and officers entered the home to find them, but ended up finding the meth in the process.
“When you do the search warrants, you need to explain to the judge what you’re looking for,” Williams said, noting that it can’t just be a free for all. “He had tools missing that were as small as a socket for a wrench, so we could look any place he could hide them. We could look everywhere in that house, and the methamphetamine was found in that search.”
As the warrant was being executed, Williams said that he was running command from his vehicle. They initially stopped traffic on the road until they executed the warrant. Williams noted that it is a “typical Vermont dirt road,” that is wide enough for two cars to go by but not much more space. The goal was to limit activity to ensure their safety, as well as not have any distractions.
Once the road was opened back up, a pickup truck drove past Williams, who recognized the driver as the homeowner, Thompson, by viewing a photo the police had and also just by living in the area. It was also confirmed that it was Thompson by his vehicle’s plate. Williams said Thompson continued to drive and two members of the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, and a Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife officer went after him and pulled him over.
Williams said Thompson pulled over right away and there was “zero problem,” as he was taken into custody without incident. A 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and various ammunition was seized during the motor vehicle stop. Williams said the gun was out in the open in the vehicle within his reach.
Agencies assisting in the warrant and arrest included: Windsor County Sheriff’s Department; Springfield Police Department; Bellows Falls Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms out of Springfield, Massachusetts; Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife; Chester Ambulance and Springfield Ambulance.
Williams said that this case required the agencies working together to put together pieces to lead to the arrest. Through information provided by Springfield Police and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, it made it easier for his department to run with the case.
“The guys did a great job on that, and it takes quite a bit of work to sum up all the information together and make a case out of it,” Williams said. “They picked up the info and ran with it. The first one led to getting the stolen vehicle, and the fallout from that included tools being missing from that truck.
He added, “The officer did some leg work to get enough information to obtain a search warrant. In small town Vermont, it’s got to be a collaborative effort for these areas for us to do our job.”
This all stems from a stolen vehicle from a home on Route 103 North in Chester on Dec. 29. According to a release by the Chester Police Department, police responded to a report of a stolen 2005 red Ford-550 that had been stolen in the morning hours. Police investigated a location on Roland Road, and Officer Lee Herrington located Joshua Hekler, who was a transient with multiple active arrest warrants.
Hekler, 29, was arrested and charged with Aggravated Operation Without Owner’s Consent, Grand Larceny, Felony Arrest Warrant, Misdemeanor Arrest Warrant.
While he was being arrested, officers with the Springfield Police Department and the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department found the stolen truck at 39 Baltimore Road in Baltimore, Vermont.
After an investigation, police also arrested Allison Clough, 34, of Baltimore, for False Information to a Police Officer, and Possession of Stolen Property greater than $900.
Hekler was lodged at Southern State Correctional Facility in lieu of $6,500 bail on his warrants and $5,000 concurrent bail on this case. Clough was cited to appear in court at a later date and released.
