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Thursday, June 27, 2019
Senior guard official faces federal charges By COLIN FLANDERS
A senior official in the Vt. Air National Guard was arrested last week for allegedly possessing and transporting child pornography. Scott Brochu, 47, of Essex, pleaded not guilty in federal court last week to charges of unlawfully transporting child pornography and possession of the illicit images. If convicted on both charges, he faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 30 years imprisonment. Brochu is being represented by attorney Craig Nolan, who said his client is innocent. “We expect that the evidence will bear this out by the end of the court process,” Nolan wrote in an email to The Reporter. Brochu was arrested last Friday near his Brigham Hill Rd. home following a joint investigation from Vermont’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Homeland Security Investigations. According to an affidavit filed in support of a search warrant for Brochu’s house, investigators received a cybertip pointing to an image of a PHOTO BY COLIN FLANDERS
Selectboard chairwoman Elaine Haney partakes in a visioning exercise at last Saturday’s joint board retreat, during which she and her fellow elected officials heard feedback from town and village department heads on the work toward a merged community.
Department heads weigh in on merger work By COLIN FLANDERS A recent work session focused on a potential 2020 merger vote found local department heads offering a consistent message to their governing boards: Be mindful of identity and stick to your decisions. The input came during the firsthalf of Saturday’s daylong board retreat, with Essex and Essex Jct. department heads sharing challenges they see in their current semi-consolidation environment and obstacles that stand in the way of merger.
The session’s most pointed advice came from town public works director Dennis Lutz. He called on leaders to “make decisions and then move on” instead of wavering. “Staff is experienced. We’re smart. We deal with problems on a daily basis. We’re basically problem solvers,” Lutz said. “We have a mission to perform irrespective of merger. I don’t have the time to go back and forth and back and forth on issues.” And when officials don’t like the options before them, let staff go back and find some alternatives, he said.
Ricky Jones, the village’s public works superintendent, agreed with his counterpart. “We can do whatever,” Jones said. “We can make anything work. We just need to get that direction.” Lutz also called on officials to better understand how town and village differ – from the way the departments operate to the physical landscape – which he said requires more than just attending meetings. “Go drive the gravel roads in town,” he said. “Go drive the ones See MERGER, page 9
Enjoy the Summer Weather on Jules Patio! essexreporter.com
EssEx REpoRtER | THURSDAY, JUne 27, 2019
See BROCHU, page 8
Town seeks feedback on plan to manage Saxon Hill Forest By COLIN FLANDERS Essex’s planning department is seeking input on a management plan for the Saxon Hill Forest to help guide the town’s stewardship of the area’s recreational offerings. The Saxon Hill Forest is comprised of more than 330 acres of publicly owned land, including 245 acres the town recently obtained as part of its sand extraction settlement in 2015. And while both zoning regulations and a court decree require the land be used as “passive recreation,” it doesn’t See SAXON HILL, page 5
Essex Jct. | (802) 857-5994 www.julesvt.com
Vol. 18 No. 26