On Friday, June 3, 2022, at approximately 7:13 PM, the Lebanon Police Department received a report about a male stealing license plates off a vehicle in the Powerhouse Mall parking lot. Around the same time, the Lebanon Police received a second report of the same suspect attempting to steal license plates from a vehicle on Benning Street and drove away in a black Volvo.
Officers located the described vehicle driving north. As Officers approached the vehicle, the driver sped away. Moments later, it was reported that the same vehicle had crashed in West Lebanon and the driver had fled the scene. With the assistance of the Hartford VT Police Department, a perimeter was set up, and after a search of the area, the suspect was located hiding in a shed attached to a house.
The driver was identified as Torin Ruggeri, age 29, from Perkinsville, VT. He was charged with Theft by Unauthorized Taking, Conduct After an Accident, Resisting Arrest, and Criminal Trespass, all B Misdemeanors. Ruggeri was also charged with Reckless Operation, a Violation, Receiving Stolen Property, a Class A Felony, Driving After Being Deemed a Habitual Offender, a Class B Felony, and Contempt of Court, an A Misdemeanor. Ruggeri also had an active warrant out of Sullivan County.
Ruggeri was held on these charges and will be arraigned in the Grafton County Superior Court on June 6, 2022.
Authorized by: Chief Phillip J. Roberts Date: 6/6/2022