Two Arrested for Reckless Endangerment at Firing Range
by Nancy Wood,
April 21, 2011, page 1.....

According to the Vermont State Police, on April 9 at about 3 p.m., they received a call from Peter Mittelstadt saying that several people at the Laberge Farm Shooting Range on Lime Kiln Road near his house were firing in the wrong direction. Mittlestadt told the police that as a result, rounds were being fired over his property and striking tree branches in his yard. Troopers responded and arrested two men, Perry Savas, 21, of South Burlington, and Robert Quinn, 22, of Burlington. Both were cited to appear in court on May 24 to answer the charge of reckless endangerment. Savas was lodged briefly at the Chittenden Correctional Center on an outstanding warrant, and Quinn was released.
Charlotte Town Constable Josh Flore explained, “The range is set up in the pit across the road from the barn on the north side of the road. The pit is set up well, with several different ranges to include a pistol range and a rifle range. Mr. Laberge is good about making sure that no rifles are used in the pistol ranges to avoid people shooting over the banks with high-powered rifles accidently.” He added, “The range rules are listed at the main gate. People are supposed to check in with the Laberge family to make them aware of who is using the range. On this particular day I don’t believe that they were notified.”
Shelburne Police Chief Jim Warden commented that most people who use the range do so responsibly. He said, “It’s a good thing these two were arrested for being reckless with guns. They ruin it for others.” He added, as a police officer, “It is a vital part of our training to be able to fire our firearms there to certify twice a year. In effect, if they closed down, we would be in deep trouble. I’m glad the State made the arrest. These guys should pay heavily for it.”
Complaints about noise, hours of use and safety at the range have been brought to the Selectboard in the past. Minutes of meetings in 2003 and in 2007 indicate efforts to mediate between the neighbors and the Laberge family to resolve these issues. At the meeting on June 25, 2007, a citizen claimed that there was a change in use to allow automatic weapons on the range. Selectboard member Ed Stone is quoted in the minutes as saying that this was researched by the town legal counsel, and it was found that the “range had been in continuous use since 1950. As per the 1966 Zoning Bylaws, Section 3.8, the range is a non-conforming use and is exempt to a limited extent. In a 12/19/1991 written Zoning Board of Authority decision, the shooting range was determined to be a pre-existing non–conforming use. The increase in volume of use doesn’t constitute an expansion of use necessarily.”
Selectboard member Charles Russell is quoted as saying that “the Town had an agreement with the Laberge’s regarding signage, improvements, what type of weapons, who could use the range, a sign-in sheet, and payment of a fee for use, etc.”