Panther Hate: Vermont Wrecker Goes To Court

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Roger Pion, the man who rolled his monster tractor over seven police car s, was brought into court in Vermont yesterday. According to New England Cable News, the man is “accused of being a one-man wrecking crew. “ Apparently, that’s a criminal offense in Vermont.

While the crushing perpetrator had his first day in court, an insurance adjuster made her first damage assessment. Sheriff Kirk Martin told New England Cable News the flattened Panther “are valued at $40-50,000 apiece when outfitted with radar, computers, a cage, and other gear.”

Says the news channel:

“Judge Howard VanBenthuysen ordered Pion held on $50,000 bail. If he makes bail, VanBenthuysen ordered Pion to stay in Orleans County under the supervision of his father, and ruled that he would not be able to drive vehicles, including tractors. “

Orleans County had to borrow cruisers from other police departments to keep deputies on the roads.


Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • 99_XC600 99_XC600 on Aug 04, 2012

    Well, being a avid sledder (Snowmobile). I do get some sense of sick joy out of seeing this. as it's a well known fact that the same Sheriff's department made it a campaign to stop ever out of stater person who was coming into the area for the weekend to go riding in the Northeast Kingdom (Island Pond, Norton, Derby, Brighton) and issued for citations for every thing under the sun. I could remember several Friday nights a certain constable would have multiple trucks and trailers lined up issuing tickets for nothing more than a cash grab for the county. So seeing the cruisers reduced to scrap brings a somewhat guilty smile to my face.

  • Alan996 Alan996 on Aug 05, 2012

    A prediction: Someone with a few connections with the city government/insurance company with a long term lease on a couple of large pole barns will quietly get a contract to remove the busted cars. They will be parted out and stored for long tern trickle sales to Panther fans over the next fifteen years. Better than T bonds...

  • Shaker Shaker on Aug 06, 2012

    I think Stephen King has the genesis of a new story here.

  • Boxerman Boxerman on Aug 07, 2012

    Public "servants" warring on the public to keep priveledge going. We are all peon's to them, a crop to be harvested. It is hard to have respect for the 1/3 who now work in statal enterprises when 80% of what they do is revenue raising. Speed control laws in the name of safety is a classic example. You get busted at 5 am on a deserted road, but no one stops the fool weaving through rush hour traffic. What about red light cameras with short yellows. Fact is there are now so many laws you break one by just waking up and breathing. That way the "state" always has something on you. Our founding fatehers would be more than shocked, we have a state worse than what they rebelled against. Worst part it is not even some conspiracy, just an amorphous ameoba like mass absorbing all productive capacity and capital in its way. We buy these services under the guise of public good. Shame on us. Pion snapped, in the end it is illogical what he did, won't help him, but as one man's scream and cry againsta relentless system it is to be applauded. I am not anti goverment, it is clearly necessary and appropriate, the question is the degree, we now have a system thet perpetuates itself. Funny how iot all went down in the people state of vermont.

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