NEWPORT, Vermont (PNN) - August 2, 2012 - A Vermont farmer used his tractor to crush seven Orleans County Sheriff’s Department squad cars on Thursday because he was angry about being arrested on marijuana charges last month.
“It’s more than half our fleet,” said Chief Deputy Sheriff Phil Brooks. “We have 11 cars.”
Roger Pion, 34, allegedly flattened five marked cruisers and two unmarked vehicles, including a van used for transporting prisoners. A car belonging to the department’s bookkeeper was also damaged when the tractor pushed it to clear a path to the squad cars.
“It was a massive tractor,” said Newport Express Publisher Ken Wells. “It has four six-foot tandem wheels on the back. It was red. It must be at least a 15-ton tractor.”
“It’s pretty much the biggest tractor you can get,” Thug cop Chief Seth DiSanto agreed.
The suspect ditched the tractor about two miles from the crime scene and then fled on foot before being apprehended. He has been turned over to the Vermont State Police.
Pion was previously arrested on July 3 for marijuana possession and resisting arrest. His court date had been set for next Tuesday.
