MORRISTOWN, Vt. (WCAX) – We’ve all heard about car thefts in urban pockets of the state, but rural communities like Morristown say it’s reaching them, too.
It was like any other day at Driveline Auto Services in Morrisville. Co-owner Jason Picard had stepped out of his truck to grab something in the garage. Just seconds later – it was gone.
“I said, ‘who has my truck?’ I totally never would have thought a million years my vehicle would have been taken from me like that,” said Picard.
Picard’s brand new Chevy Silverado was en route to Eden, but the joyride ended when the driver crashed Picard’s truck into another car.
Both vehicles were totaled, sending a woman to the hospital and Picard’s truck into a ditch.
“It was upside down and laying on its side in the brook, completely wrecked, and the oil was running out of it. My stuff is scattered, tools and stuff, parts I had in the back body are laid on the road. I was just in total disbelief. At that point, I was extremely angry with the whole situation,” Picard said.
Morristown Police Department was at the scene.
Lieutenant Todd Baxter said it’s the 26th car theft his department has investigated since August of last year, over 6 times more thefts compared to previous years.
“People just roaming into vehicles all throughout the day, throughout the night, in businesses, residences, right in your driveway, while you’re in shopping. I mean, you could be in Maplefields to run and get your coffee and somebody’s in your car,” said Baxter.
For Picard, that somebody was Josh Simpson.
It’s a name synonymous with trouble in the little town. Since August of last year, Simpson has been arrested 15 times – all while on probation.
Picard says he’s frustrated that someone with that rap sheet was still on the streets.
“I don’t understand the epidemic. I don’t understand why the laws do not work the way they should work. I don’t understand how somebody can invade your privacy, and steal your vehicle,” said Picard.
Lieutenant Baxter attributes the rise in car thefts to Morristown residents becoming more emboldened and desperate for drugs that are a drive away. He also says car thieves are often the same people shoplifting or getting violent in Morristown.
Car thefts and recidivism – or re-offending – were front and center during this spring’s legislative session.
They helped inform new laws fining repeat retail thieves, holding car thieves accountable, and setting higher bail to prevent flight risks.
Still, Lieutenant Baxter says Morristown is a prime example of why Vermonters need to speak up and demand that more is done.
“If you’re okay with it, then we don’t need to talk anymore. If you’re not, then you need to get involved in this conversation. And that’s what we’re encouraging people to do,” he said.
While recognizing community frustration, some state leaders say laws passed this spring will eventually unclog Vermont’s court backlog, helping cases move faster.
They also point to a new Department of Corrections program coming this January that requires criminals to regularly check in and comply with court orders.
