NEWPORT — Chief Travis Bingham reports that the Newport Police Department arrested a third man Thursday night following an attempted traffic stop the previous evening.
On Thursday, June, 16, Newport Police arrested DAKOTA MERRILL, AGE 22, OF DERBY at his residence with assistance from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department. He is charged with:
- Eluding a Police Officer
- Gross Negligent Operation
- Excessive Speed
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident
- Resisting Arrest
MERRILL was held Thursday night at Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport on $15,000 bail. He is expected to be arraigned in Orleans County Criminal Court on Friday, June 17.
ROMELLO APPLETON, AGE 25, OF SPRINGFIELD, MA, and JACOB ROY, AGE 26, OF DERBY were arrested the previous evening.
At approximately 10 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15, Newport Officers assisting in an ongoing investigation by the Northern Vermont Drug Task Force, located APPLETON, the target of the investigation. Officers observed APPLETON enter a vehicle driven by a person believed to be MERRILL. The vehicle was observed taking a right from Prospect Street to Third Street.
Officers followed the vehicle from Third Street to Main Street, where they activated their emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop. The driver allegedly failed to stop for police and a pursuit ensued at speeds exceeding the posted limit.
During the pursuit, the driver allegedly side-swiped another vehicle at the intersection of Routes 14 and 59 in Irasburg and continued to flee.
The vehicle eventually crashed into a ditch on River Road in Coventry. APPLETON, MERRILL and another suspect — later identified as ROY — allegedly fled from the car on foot into the woods.
Following the crash, police located a fourth passenger still in the vehicle, who was not charged.
APPLETON and ROY were located with the help of Newport Police Department’s K9 Unit approximately 30 minutes after the crash and were placed under arrest by Newport Police and Vermont State Police. Both were transported to the State Police Barracks in Derby.
Officers were unable to immediately locate MERRILL.
Northern Vermont Drug Task Force and Newport Police received assistance from the Vermont State Police and Orleans County Sheriff’s Department during the investigation.
The incident remains under investigation by the Newport Police Department.
These are allegations. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.
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