http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140530/NEWS02/705309960
Jason Parkinson, 32, of Springfield, pleaded guilty Tuesday in White River Junction criminal court to a charge of disorderly conduct after police said he confronted people he suspected of selling drugs. Photo: PHOTO BY ERIC FRANCISPublished May 30, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Police: Man belligerent about drug dealing By ERIC FRANCIS CORRESPONDENT WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A man who police said used a baseball bat to confront people he suspected of selling drugs on the main downtown square in Springfield pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct this week. Jason Parkinson, 32, of Springfield, spent the holiday weekend in jail awaiting his court appearance Tuesday following an arrest last Friday evening near the intersection of Main and Park streets. Parkinson was brought into White River Junction criminal court in handcuffs before Judge Harold Eaton Jr. The judge told Parkinson, “I understand what you were getting at here and I’m not saying I disagree with your intentions but your ... ” “Methods, yes sir, I know,” Parkinson interrupted. Springfield Police Cpl. Walter Morancy said officers responded to a “very busy” section of Main Street shortly after 8 p.m. Friday after callers reported that a man holding a baseball bat was creating a disturbance. Morancy said when he arrived he found Parkinson loudly exclaiming, “we needed to do something about the drug problem in town and that if the police department did not do something he would.” Morancy said Parkinson was warned about disorderly conduct and all of the officers cleared the call only to be called back an hour later. Morancy said he found Parkinson loudly threatening an older resident of the Woolson Block, saying that “drugs were being sold and free needles being dispensed” from the man’s apartment. Although Parkinson walked away, Morancy wrote that he decided it would be a good idea to park his cruiser in plain view for a bit and monitor the area. “Moments later Parkinson raised his voice... at Martin Gonyea,” Morancy wrote, referring to a Springfield resident who pleaded innocent earlier this month to a felony charge alleging that he had sold heroin and a misdemeanor count of possession of bath salts. “In a loud, deep now raspy voice from yelling so much,” Parkinson told Gonyea to leave and “spoke of throwing (him) off the bridge into the river to solve the problem,” Morancy wrote. “After stating this, Parkinson lunged forward and pushed Gonyea back with a great deal of force,” Morancy wrote, adding that he immediately grabbed Parkinson and placed him under arrest. Parkinson subsequently blew a 0.194 percent blood-alcohol level on a breath test. For comparison, the legal limit to drive in Vermont in 0.08. After apologizing to the court for his behavior Tuesday afternoon, Parkinson was given a sentence of three days with credit for the three days he had spent in jail following his arrest. He was also ordered to pay a $147 surcharge in connection with the misdemeanor conviction for disorderly conduct.
In the past two years, every month, I have given names, plate numbers, descriptions of vehicles, how many people..etc to the police station. They have done nothing to stop the problem. I witness drug deals everyday and report them immediately. The police do nothing. Mr. Parkinson: THANK YOU!! This IS what we need to do. Obviously people are becoming frustrated about the cops only doing petty jobs instead of cracking down on the more severe crimes. Mr. Parkinson should not be fined or jailed. We all should thank him for being brave enough to confront the devils whom are destroying our town. Yeah....stand up for your people and village, and get into trouble for doing it. HOW MUCH MORE INFO DO YOU NEED SPD????? GET UP OFF YOUR REARS AND BE REAL COPS.
ReplyDeleteJason thank you for trying to to clean up the streets. I too have called about drug deals and it goes no were. The gang out in front of the Woolson block in the middle of the day disgusts me. Obviously they don't have employment other than dealing. They are so brazen as to walk up and down Main St. dealing and harassing the public. Springfield has turned into the ghetto.:(
DeleteThe judge should have waived the fine and given him time served that's it! This should be an eye opener for the town. People are sick of the all the heroin dealing in town in plain sight! WE NEED MORE PEOPLE LIKE HIM TO DO SOMETHING! He is right, if the cops won't do anything then this type of thing is going to happen. It wasn't too many years ago that this would have been an everyday thing. Everyday when I go home on lunch I see these losers just hanging out in front of the Woolson Block all dressed to impress but no job to speak of unless you consider selling H all over town. Step it up police dept!
ReplyDeleteBuford Pusser would be proud. Have my respect and many others' Mr. Parkinson. Walk tall.
ReplyDeleteWell, you can't blame him. More and more people are going to get fed up like this guy, then what? Maybe that is what this town needs, someone with some courage to stand up to the druggies and put a little fear into them, maybe show them some "rough justice" and maybe they will think twice about hanging around in this town.
ReplyDeleteI say we throw rotten eggs at them. It will be like their Scarlet Letter. If the eggs hit the building, it would just be collateral damage.
DeleteThat wouldn't be the best idea. Most of the scumbags would probably shoot back
DeleteThey didn't shoot at bat man.
DeleteWe are going to see more and more of this type of vigilante justice until these loser drug dealers are run out of town. I know Jay and I don't blame him one bit either.How can people recover and can't put thier lives back together with these pushers pushing drugs in their faces everywhere. The wholea Woolson block needsfor to be the emptied. I support the cause. Give the teens something to do. Invest in them. Give the parents of the drop outs stiff fines and charges against them and kids too. Impose a 10:00 curfew with fines if caught out for anything other then work ir emergency. No loitering or you will face prosecution. See where this gets us.
ReplyDeleteThe SFPD is NOT the blame here, did anyone ever think that maybe, just maybe they are investigating and have to build a solid case against the dealers to ensure they are done and do the time. Most DEA cases take 18 months to years in investigation to nail the dealers. The SPFD are doing what they are supposed to do, and probably in compliance under the DEA/FEDS.
ReplyDeleteIt's been almost a year since the "Round up" and what has come of it??? Nothing but bs. They are to blame here because people like you keep giving them the pat on the back and saying "Good job boys!" If they were really out to get the scum off the street then they would have turned a blind eye and let him beat the crap out of them. I know two wrongs don't make a right but it does send a message that we don't want these punks here. Maybe you should move across the street from there and send your kids to the Woolson Block to knock on some doors and ask if they want to donate to the Police Depts. cause. I bet you would change your mind. Here is even a better idea. Maybe Batman will move here and do their job. Dumbass!
DeleteThat's a bunch of BS. So ignoring them for years is going to help solve the drug problem because "they'll have a case". Please stop! You think they are sitting on those steps on Main Street shaking in their boots because the SFPD are "building a case"? I don't think so. Get in their face, stay in their face and make it clear you know what they are doing and will not tolerate it. Every deal should be a arrest, both the seller and buyer. Doing nothing is exactly that. What happen to the big drug bust last year the SFPD were so proud off and put in our faces? Not much. Guess that case building didn't work out. So maybe, just maybe they need to re-adjust their efforts and start making a point that EVERYONE is watching this crap going on in public places. I can't believe that just because you're building a case doesn't mean you cannot stay aggressive against a crew that seems to be getting bigger by the day. Unless of course that's part of the Downtown Revitalization program. If the SFPD want our support, then they need to make it clear they're supporting us!
DeleteSo they spend 18 months "investigating" then they arrest them and release them the next day with the same consequences as Mr. Parkinsons here... GREAT JOB SFPD!! Now stop posting on the blog as if you are a citizen trying to defend your lack of effort and get out there and arrest a drug dealer! It doesn't take 18months of investigation if you CATCH SOMEONE IN THE ACT WITH THE EVIDENCE IN HAND! - Do your job and shut up!
DeleteWho said anything about the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD)? Hey genius, they don't have jurisdiction in this matter!
DeleteThe police are not the ones putting the scumbags back on the street. It is the judicial system that is failing us. People like Kainen are too easy on them and they get away with nothing but a slap on the wrist.
DeleteA simple solution is to have the police go back to street patrols walking around the neighborhood and keeping the bad guys of guard. Staying in their face is the exact thing to do, bad guys don't like seeing police at their level.
DeleteHow many addicts could die in 18 months??? How many youths could be persuaded into doing drugs in 18 months??? IGNORANT!!!
DeleteNobody here knows anything about drugs, addicts or criminal law. It's the best entertainment in the state. Sad, but funny.
DeleteThe irony that he was carrying a bat when arrested and was arraigned wearing a Red Sox shirt is fitting. Jason's batting a perfect 1.000 in this poster's record book!
ReplyDeleteIf he was wearing a Yankees shirt he may have connected.
DeleteWe need more traffic stops on Clinton Street, if we catch the speeders we catch the gangs.
ReplyDeletehe spent time in jail and paid a fine! If he had been dealing, nothing would have been done to him!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSPD had to teach him a lesson for trying to upstage them.
ReplyDeleteIf you went to the community forums several years ago when Chief James Baker (Rutland City Police Department) spoke at, he stated to the people attending that this is not a police problem but a community problem. That is everyone's concerns in trying to fix the problem.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is very easy to sit back and blame the police for everything. The laws are are written and enforced equally for everyone, yes even the drug dealers have rights to due process. There are many factors that have developed over the years that lead to where we are today. The demographics of the town have changed. Now lets see how the town developed into what it is today from a working blue collar town to an entitlement town. If you read the town plan it indicates that there is 59% subsidized housing in Springfield for Windsor County.
The welfare system in this state is so much better then you find in New Jersey, Mass etc. Why wouldn't the drug dealers move to Vermont and do their business, heck they can be on welfare and do their drug business on the side, but yet for them to make a profit there has to be a need and a demand for what their selling.
Yes, they get more for their product in Vermont then they can in NJ, Mass etc. They are getting at least 4 times the money they get in those other states. As a good business man or women, wouldn't you do the same if you were in that business?
Look around the state, Springfield is not the only one with these issues and every community is grasping to find a solution. You can't arrest your way out of it, your can't treat your way out of it, and you can't educated your way out of it and you cannot sit back and complain your way out of it.
There are people with all different backgrounds that use drugs, from the rich to the poor. You will never be able to eliminate the drug problem in Vermont or the USA.
I think part of the solution would be economical development within the town and putting people back to work. This by means is only part of the solution. I am sure there are many more ideas out there that as a community we can come together to try and find.
Yes, names and numbers help bring a case together but unless people come forth that are willing to make a written statement and testify, the police can only do so much with that information. If you feel the judicial system is not working then you need to contact your local representatives and Senators and let them know the system is not working and changes need to be made to effectively deal with the problem.
Yes, the police have been doing foot patrols on Main Street when they haven't been answering calls. At least I have seen them doing them, haven't you?
Lets come together as a community to find solutions to these issues. I know its easier to point fingers and play the blame game and it probably makes you feel better, but are you really think that will resolve the issue?
wow, your smart. Bravo.
DeleteAND, you can't write paragraph after paragraph after paragraph in a lecturing tone to resolve it, either.
DeleteThis is awesome. This makes me not want to move out of this crazy town.
ReplyDeleteEveryone keeps blaming the police. Do any of you ever listen in on a police scanner? I do, every day, and the police ARE out there doing their jobs. Instead of pointing fingers at the police, why not point them at the landlords that allow druggies and dealers to live in their apartments, or how about eliminating some of the low income housing around here, or better yet, get them to crack down on who lives in housing. If someone is caught with drugs then automatic eviction, why cant that happen? There are known drug houses and known druggies and users, the police do what they can but the courts let these scums out. Everything is done "by the law" so the hands of the police are tied, they can only do what the law allows them to do. I hear the frustration in their voices when talking on the police scanner, they have to run around answering ridiculous calls, some are the same people over and over again having an argument or heres a good one, parents calling the police because their 5 yr old is "out of control"...the police have to answer all these calls regardless and when they are out there running around town breaking up arguments between a drunk couple or an out of control child..they are not able to spend as much time on cleaning up the streets are they could be.
ReplyDeleteTHEY ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN LEGALLY DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS! OF COURSE WE ARE GOING TO BLAME THE POLICE! DUHHH!
Deleteset up video surveillance cameras on all the hot spots in town right outside their scumbag death dealing windows that should put a cramp in things it will not only ruin their high but help with proof of transactions for court when the police "get around" to establishing a case against said offenders! I too have BEGGED for help from spd and was threatened that "I" would go to jail instead of the major disruptive junkie neighbor that "all" of my good neighbors have reported to spd on many occasion.....things that make ya go hmmmmmmm.....all we ever get is, theres only 2 officers on duty we will keep our eye out, give me a bloody break & train our officers to STOP these blatant criminals they are DESTROYING OUR TOWN....maybe instead of not in our town we should all form a welcoming committee for all of the outsiders moving into our community to deal death and destroy ....lets just make them comfy so we can watch an entire community fall to pieces before our very eyes....IF OUR POLICE DEPT. CANT HANDLE IT TRY BRINGING IN MORE COMPETENT LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT WILL ie; DEA, ATF, STATE POLICE ARMY , NAVY, AIRFORCE or HIRED ASSASIN YOU KNOW WHATEVER IT TAKES!!!
ReplyDeleteyea offer them jobs for 8 dollars an hour I am SURE that that is a great offer for a solution when these LAZY SCUMBAGS are making more in an hour than the rest of us that work an honest weeks work yeah brain surgeon that should help HEY GOOD LUCK WITH THAT SUGGESTION LOL!
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ReplyDeleteIf this indeed a Vermont "epidemic" as Shumey likes to portray it, and other communities are experiencing similar effects, then it's beyond time to march on Montpelier when the legislature is in session. And when the legislature isn't in session, it may be time to march on Emmons, Martin, and all the other reptilians who have delivered this kind of malady to the state's doorstep.
ReplyDeleteAll the crap that Montpelier passed this year is not worth two cents, unless we fix our real problem here. A drug dealer is committing as violent an act as someone who would hand poison candy to one of our children. For that is exactly what they are doing. There is no cure for this if we continue to treat drug dealers as if they are getting a parking ticket.
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