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Demian Warner / The Newport Daily Express
Police say a man drove a tractor over eight police vehicles Thursday. The damage is estimated to be about $250,000.
A man driving a farm tractor ran over eight vehicles in the parking lot of a Vermont police station in an apparent revenge scheme, according to local reports.
Police said Roger Pion, 34, of Newport, Vt., flattened seven marked police cruisers and one unmarked personal vehicle at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department in Derby, Vt., around 12:40 p.m. Thursday.
“We came out and sure enough there was someone who had run over our cruisers with a tractor,” Chief Dep. Philip Brooks of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Dept. told WCAX.
Not only were their roofs and hoods caved in, but “the radios are ruined, the radar detectors, the cages in the cars … We’re going to have to get the jaws of life up here to pry the trunks open and see about the rifles and shotguns,” Sheriff Kirk Martin told the Associated Press.
With the vehicles crushed, police had no way to pursue Pion after he drove off in the tractor.
Demian Warner / The Newport Daily Express
Police say Roger Pion took out more than half of the sheriff department's fleet -- some of its newest vehicles were only four months old.
“It felt like I was in a Monster Jam rally or something,” witness Rene Morris told WCAX. “I just couldn’t believe it. He’s backing up, going over it, turns around, makes his way to the other vehicles smashes those up, did his business and headed right down Route 5.”
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Police eventually caught up with Pion a mile and a half from the police station and arrested him. The motive is still under investigation, but witnesses believe Pion was angry about his recent arrest for marijuana possession and resisting arrest.
Stephanie Dasaro / Vermont State Police
Police arrested Roger Pion of Newport, V.T., after the tractor incident. He also was arrested recently for marijuana possession and resisting arrest.
The damage is estimated to be about $250,000, according to police.
No one was injured. At least two deputies had gone inside a few moments before after washing their vehicles, officers said.
Brooks said the destroyed vehicles constituted more than half of the fleet of sheriff’s cruisers in the rural county on the Canadian border. The others were out on patrol. Since the incident, neighboring counties have offered their help.
“We have other county sheriff’s departments who are offering cruisers to us,” Brooks said. “We’ve already had one county that’s dropped one off to us and we’ve got two others that are on the way.”
It’s not known where Pion got the tractor but police said he comes from a farm family.
Demian Warne / The Newport Daily Express
Police don't know where Pion got the tractor from but say he comes from a farm family.
Pion was held at the Northern State Correctional Center in Newport in lieu of $15,000 bail.
He is expected to appear in Orleans County Criminal Court Friday to answer to seven counts of felony unlawful mischief, one count of misdemeanor unlawful mischief, one count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, one count of gross negligent operation, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident.
A man driving a tractor crushes 7 police vehicles parked at a sheriff's department headquarters in Vermont. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
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Leave a Comment:
Included in the damages were approximately six dozen donuts intended for the night shift. Oh the humanity!
This reads like a script for a Benny Hill skit. When I read the line “We came out and sure enough there was someone who had run over our cruisers with a tractor" I heard it in a complete hillbilly voice and almost expected the next line to be, "We could have been kilt, or even worse!"
You heard it correctly and one of them did come out and said; "We could have been kilt, or even worse!"
Has there been a website set to help with his bail?
I'll vote for him.
rotflmao! You can't help but luv a guy like that who can so succinctly articulate his displeasure with someone who he feels has offended him.
He may have outdone the guy who painted a pig into the Vermont State Seal on a trooper's cruiser!
Another "mellow", pot sucker?
I'm watching you biatch.
I have a long farming background and have been in some big tractors! If I would have seen this story about fifteen years ago you might get a copycat! The mentality of the small town police force,is to harass anyone that has been in trouble before! They might have just pushed this man over the edge! Maybe an insanity plea? I would donate for a lawyer,because he had the balls to do what I do not have the balls to do! I think farm aid should get involved! Does anyone have willie nelsons phone number?
Brilliant pro-marijuana activist strategy! Destroy public property and show why a behavior altering and judgement interfering drug is illegal in the first place.
"Leaving the scene of an accident." It doesn't sound like it was an accident to me.
LOL
Only because you haven't been to the POLICE ACADEMY!
Already said this, but will say again...
When the T-shirts come out, I want to order one. This guy is legend!
He probably got ticked off because the cop who busted him for smoking a joint is the same one who sold him the pot to roll it with. That happened here and the deputy got a busted nose for his effontry.
i want one too!
How can they charge him with leaving the scene of an "accident" when this wasn't an accident? LOL!!!
The story never said there were police outside when the incident happened, it said they came outside to see crushed cars and the tractor leaving the scene. If there were no officers present then how can they charge for Aggravated assault on a police officer. They pile these bull@!$%# charges on to people and then they wonder why there police fleet is now flat! DUH!! Good for him it's about time someone stood up to the BULL@!$%# government.
For those concerned about tax dollars having to fund the repairs I'm sure that's what insurance is for..unless they were driving uninsured ;-)
Weed is one heck of a DRUG!!!
I really wish someone had gotten this on film. I'd love to watch the action!! Too bad the person who witnessed the act didn't capture it on video! It would go viral on You Tube!
This guy could easily become a folk hero... All he needs is a little more publicity.
T-SHIRTS!!!!!!
We want T-Shirts!!!!
The guy looks like he'd like to do a lot worse than destroy cars; some people get angry, others get even.
Likea so many brainiacs, he fails to think about the ramifications to himself and his freedom.
It would be funny if it weren't so stupid. Insurance will probably take the cost burden off taxpayers, but it won't cover court costs and long-term incarceration, which he now faces.
I will try my post again, I don't know what went wrong. Forgive me if it shows up twice.
I really wish someone had gotten this of film. I'd have loved to see the action take place. Too bad the person who witnessed it didn't get it on film. It would have gone viral on You Tube.
You all can laugh as much as you want. But, the people of that county are the ones who are gonna pay for this stupid stunt. Insurance sure isn't. It was intentional. He can't, just looking at him should tell you that. Then we are all gonna pay for it when they raise taxes to pay for it and his stay in the hotels the call prisons, nowadays. Laugh it up while you can.
Roger Pion (pronounced Pee On). They're going to love this guy in prison.
I wonder if he will object to the charge of leaving the scene of an accident, since it is clear his actions were definitely intended, with fore thought as to what resources he would need to accomplish his mission.
And, of course, the police have to charge him with everything but stopping up the county property toilet.
As to the price, only he can know if the cost of this is worth the time. This was kinda like poking a stick in a killer bee hive. The new storm troopers we now have for police will probably enact their revenge once he is in a cell.
Personally, I'm tired of Eatting Cake!
Maybe the town's people can do some kind of fundraiser to help raise funds for new police cruisers. They can um... sell doughnuts or something. Seriously though, someone needs to start a fund for this guy's legal defense. Someone please post the website if you know about it.
Per the article they are charging him with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. He came into the parking lot and leveled some vehicles. Unless he assaulted an officer during arrest, I'm concerned about that charge. "No one was injured. At least two deputies had gone inside a few moments before after washing their vehicles, officers said."
Well then why are you charging him with assault? Cops, you guys have enough of a case as it is, so try not to get greedy and start trying to charge him with something he didn't do because it carries more time than the other charges. It's really in poor taste.
Ahhh, but they are all about poor taste. Really pisses them to no end when "one of us" gets one over on them. They will stop at nothing to rail road you right into prison then.
The Agg. Assault charge came from his attempt to back over an occupied police car when another officer attempted to arrest him after he'd left the original scene. Not sure about VT law, but in other states, using any kind of an object as a weapon (in this case , the tractor) to attempt to inflict harm earns you an Agg. Assault charge.