Police arrested 10 suspected drug dealers in Brattleboro this week and five people elsewhere in southern Vermont earlier in the fall following an uptick in opioid overdoses in the area.
Vermont State Police Detective Sergeant Chris Lora, said the Vermont Drug Task Force responded to an increase in reported opioid overdoses this summer by applying a “full court press” to figure out who was supplying the drugs, first in Springfield this September and then in Brattleboro more recently.
“When we have an incident like this — the first thing is doing what we can to start making arrests and gathering information to find out where this is coming from,” he said.
Vermont Public Radio reported that there were 11 overdoses in the Brattleboro area alone over the July 4 weekend this year. While drug overdoses are trending slightly downward across the state, fentanyl overdoses have surged, with Brattleboro in Windham County and Springfield in Windsor County particularly hard hit.
There have been 26 fentanyl-related deaths in Windsor and Windham counties so far this year, the two highest figures in the state (Rutland has also had 10 fentanyl fatalities), according to the state’s latest statistics. The most deadly single months for fentanyl overdoses in any county were four deaths, both in Windham this June and Windsor in September.
Lora said that the fifteen suspected dealers arrested in the past three months were cited and released pending trials. He said police were continuing their investigation into the local drug networks and trying to work their way up the distribution chain by pursuing cases in Massachusetts.
The following individuals were arrested for alleged distribution of the following drugs.
Davion Fluker, 23, of Newark, New Jersey — sale of Cocaine.
Joshua Sargent, 32, Enfield, New Hampshire — sale of Fentanyl.
Brandon Heist, 21, Springfield, Vermont — sale of Fentanyl.
Terence Carr, 45, Springfield, Vermont — sale of Fentanyl.
William Dalling, 61, Charlestown, New Hampshire — sale of Fentanyl.
Corey Jackson, 31, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Fentanyl.
Dalton Kissell, 28, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Fentanyl.
Jocelyn Pond, 29, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Fentanyl.
Rachael Gauthier, 48, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Heroin and Fentanyl.
Beth Davis, 41, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Regulated Drug (Prescription).
Sarah Cassell, 31, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Cocaine.
Justine Pond, 29, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Fentanyl.
Peter Garrett, 31, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Cocaine.
Michelle Carrasquillo, 36, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Regulated Drug (Prescription).
Daniel Horton, 34, Brattleboro, Vermont — sale of Regulated Drug (Prescription).
Read the story on VTDigger here: Police arrest 10 in Brattleboro, 5 in Springfield after opioid overdose spike.