Williston Observer

Authorities say suspect shouted slur against gays

By Tom Gresham
Observer staff

A California man was arrested after he was accused of shouting a derogatory comment at a Williston motel employee and attempting to hit him with a car.

James W. Darden, 19, was arraigned July 1 on charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and careless and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Williston police initially cited Darden on a charge of a hate-motivated crime, according to Williston Police Officer Dan Gowans. However, he was not formally charged with that crime.

Darden, a Watsonville, Calif. resident, was in Williston to help move his parents to Vermont, Gowans said. Darden arrived the evening of June 29, Gowans said, and was arrested the following afternoon.

Gowans said the charges surrounded an incident that occurred at the Fairfield Inn on Vermont Route 2A. Darden was driving a vehicle with his younger brother, when “he came flying into the hotel parking lot,” according to Gowans.

A Fairfield Inn staff member asked Darden to drive more slowly, Gowans said. The staff member told Gowans that Darden grew very upset and “got in his face and told him he would drive any way he wanted to.”

As Darden walked to his car, he allegedly yelled at the staff member, “All Vermonters are f—— faggots.”

The staff member attempted to write down Darden’s license plate. Gowans said Darden noticed the employee reading the license plate and put the car into reverse, apparently attempting to hit the staff member. Gowans said the employee jumped out of the way.

After his arraignment, Darden was lodged at the Chittenden County Correctional Facility on $2,500 bail.

Gowans said aggravated assault in Vermont does not have to include an actual instance of assault. He said an attempted assault — such as attempting to strike someone with a car — could be classified as aggravated assault.

Gowans said Darden’s slur and subsequent actions met the state’s qualifications for a hate crime, but the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office did not file that charge against Darden.

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Hillside home threatened by rising water

By Tom Gresham
Observer staff

An intense thunderstorm roared through a concentrated section of Williston last week, bloating streams, threatening a house and forcing the closure of multiple roads.

The storm hit the Village and its vicinity with particular force when it struck at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29. Portions of U.S. Route 2, as well as North Williston, Oak Hill and Governor Chittenden roads were closed for varying stretches of the afternoon because of flooding. All of the roads were reopened by 8:45 p.m.

Soon after the storm hit, Vermont Agency of Transportation workers arrived in town and went to work protecting a yellow house that sits on French Hill close to U.S. Route 2. The house and some accompanying outside propane tanks were besieged by a stream of runoff that had overwhelmed a nearby culvert and storm grate, according to Williston Police Officer Dan Gowans.

Gowans said the rush of water flowing down French Hill during and after the storm carried large amounts of mud and debris, which in turn clogged a storm drain. Gowans estimated the rainfall from the storm at 3 to 4 inches.

Stephen Brown, a resident of nearby Sunrise Drive, visited the scene after spotting the lights of the emergency vehicles. Brown had been digging trenches to direct runoff away from his house, which was threatened by approximately 3 feet of water around the foundation.

Brown described the running water on French Hill as a “torrent.” He said the threat to the yellow house was apparent.

“It was just running wild,” Brown said. “It was unbelievable. The water was right up against the house. It seemed like it was in danger of being knocked off its foundation.”

Gowans said state Agency of Transportation workers used a bucket loader to drag soil and build a dam that redirected the stream away from the house and across U.S. Route 2, which had already been closed.

The water also washed out a 3-foot stretch of U.S. Route 2 on French Hill, exposing a gas line, Gowans said. The line was covered by roadway again by the evening.

Elsewhere, two pedestrian bridges were overrun by Allen Brook — one on U.S. Route 2 and one on North Williston Road. The bridge on North Williston Road was submerged. At the bridge on U.S. Route 2, water from the brook swept over the bank and turned an adjacent field into a pond.

There were also reports of several fallen trees at Old Stage Estates.

The storm was apparently far more intense in Williston Village that in other parts of town. Williston Police Department dispatcher Scott Morris said the Taft Corners stoplights switched to flashing because of a power outage caused by the storm. Multiple motorists called the police department to ask why the lights were not functioning.

“When I told them ‘Because of the storm,’ they said, ‘What storm?’” Morris said.

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