Vernon Police Honor Officers, Dispatchers, Citizens At Awards Program

VERNON, CT — The Vernon Police Department recently recognized officers, dispatchers and community members with awards for heroism, lifesaving, solving crimes and crime prevention.

The department’s top award, officer of the year, went to Capt. Lucas Gallant, who was
recognized for his career-long dedication to serving the department and the people of Vernon in
"a professional and selfless way." He was also recognized for his leadership, for taking on
additional duties when needed, and for being “the glue that holds everything together.”

It is the second time that Gallant, a Vernon native, has been recognized as officer of the year.

Officers Allison Rand and Michael Barillaro received awards for Distinguished Service.

Rand was recognized for stopping, while off duty, to render aid to people involved in a rollover
crash on I-91. She approached a burning vehicle and smashed out a window to check for
victims, then approached a second vehicle, found an unresponsive person inside and pulled
the person out and began performing CPR.

Barillaro was recognized for his role in assisting a fellow officer by pursuing a drug suspect,
leaping from a retaining wall, and continuing the foot pursuit despite suffering a leg injury. He
continued the pursuit and helped take the dangerous suspect into custody.

Officers Robert Worobel, Alyson Perez, Devon O’Donnell and Tyler Wallace received
Distinguished Service Unit awards.

The officers were honored for their work in investigating and arresting four people on assault
charges after an incident on West Street. The victim told the officers what happened and,
based on their experience, were able to immediately identify the suspects and quickly take
them into custody. They also found a weapon used in the incident.

Detective Michael Anthony and Officer Matthew Guilmette received medals for
Meritorious Service.

Anthony, while investigating a shooting, worked for more than four months to identify a suspect by
viewing video from a variety of sources and interviewing many people, some of whom were not
cooperative. As he continued his investigation, Anthony built rapport with some of the
witnesses and obtained the name of a possible suspect. He then worked with the Norwich
Violent Crimes Task Force to locate a vehicle used in the shootings and gather additional
information. Anthony also obtained several search warrants to preserve electronic evidence,
and ultimately made an arrest of a dangerous felon suspected of being involved in other
shootings in Connecticut.

Guilmette was among the officers who responded to a serious crash involving a motorcycle and
other vehicles. The motorcyclist died as a result of the crash and the driver of a vehicle involved
in the crash ran off. Guilmette, as a member of Metro Traffic Services, conducted the initial
scene investigation, then continued investigating and identified a suspect. Working with fellow
officers and several other departments, Guilmette obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s
home, and then arrested the suspect, removing a dangerous criminal from the streets.

Detective Michael Patrizz, Vernon Officer Allison Rand and East Lyme Officer Chen Xu
received a Meritorious Service Unit citation.

Rand, who was the school resource officer at Rockville High School, learned that a student had
been assaulted and began an investigation. Working with Patrizz and Xu, who served as a
translator, the team was able to conduct an investigation and multiple interviews that led to a
confession and arrest.

Officer Allison Rand and Detective Thomas Van Tasel received a Meritorious Unit
Citation.

Vernon police, and police across Connecticut, responded to multiple bomb threats in November
2023, all of which were determined to be connected. The threats continued for months targeting
a variety of local institutions. In January 2024 bomb threats were made at Rockville High
School and Vernon Center Middle School. Van Tasel and Rand worked together with the FBI
and identified multiple suspects, including a Rockville High School student who was ultimately
charged.

Sgt. Chris Hunt, Officers David Provencher, Dale Lagace, James Platosh, Jamie
Grzegorek, Dominic Marandino, Robert Worobel, Jeffrey Condon and Jonathan Snyder,
and Dispatchers Amy DePietro and Sean O’Sullivan were honored with Life Saving
awards.

Hunt, Snyder, Worobel, O’Sullivan and DiPietro worked together to help a woman at Valley
Falls Park who was experiencing heat exhaustion, loss of vision and loss of consciousness on
a 90 plus degree day. The caller could not tell dispatchers where she was. The dispatchers
used the GPS in the officers’ body cameras to direct them to the woman. After searching about 30 minutes the officers found her in thick brush off the marked trail. They guided her to Hunt and his vehicle, who then took her to waiting emergency medical technicians, who treated her and transported her to a hospital, where she made a full recovery.

Platosh, Condon and Marandino responded to a business where a man had harmed himself
and lost a lot of blood. The officers searched for the man and found him unconscious due to
blood loss a short distance away. They used a tourniquet to stop his severe bleeding and
saved his life.

Lagace, Platosh and Grzegorek responded to the Lower Bolton Lake for a person in the water.
Officers located a woman who had fallen through the ice, being pulled to shore by a neighbor.
Officers were able to get her out of the water and perform lifesaving measures. She was
eventually transported to an area hospital, where she made a full recovery.

Sgts. Gregory St. Pierre and Charles Vogt, Det. Cody Flanigan and Officers Andre Lisee,
Corey Sutherland, Tyler Wallace, Joshua Wells, Alyson Perez, Zachary Johanson and
Brandon Zawadski with police dog Franco received Letters of Commendation for a variety of
incidents.

Johanson and Perez assisted a man experiencing a mental health crisis who was armed with a
knife and baseball bat. They officers spent two hours talking to the man, building a rapport and
convincing him to relinquish the weapons, thus enabling the man to receive the medical
treatment he needed. The officers also ensured the safety of family members in the home.

Zawadski and his police dog responded to a domestic disturbance where a firearm was
allegedly used to threaten the victim. Fellow officers located and detained the suspect, who did
not have the firearm on him. Zawadski, with Franco, carried out a search and found the
weapon.

Flanigan was driving in Vernon when he spotted a known drug dealer leaning into the
passenger window of a vehicle. The car then drove off and Flanigan followed, determining the
car was speeding. Flanigan stopped the car and identified the driver as another known drug
dealer. He developed probable cause to search the vehicle and found 21.5 grams of crack
cocaine, 7.3 grams of powder cocaine, 15 suspected fentanyl pills and 14 oxycodone pills. The
dealer was charged.

Lisee performed a traffic stop in town and recognized the driver as a known drug dealer. He
observed illegal drugs in plain view, then ordered the driver out of the car. A search revealed
17.5 grams of crack cocaine, 2.7 ounces of fentanyl-laced marijuana and arrested the dealer.
Vogt and Lisee responded to Bolton Lake in March 2024 for a report of a capsized canoe and
two people in the water. Both officers waded into chest deep water to aid a person floating face
down. They pulled the person to shore and administered aid before turning the person over to
EMS.

Wells responded to a domestic disturbance and encountered a veteran who was intoxicated
and was experiencing hardship. The man had to find his way to another place to stay for the
night and had no means to do so. Wells offered to pay for an Uber to get the man to his
destination.

Wallace was on routine patrol when he found a vehicle idling behind a business. The vehicle
had recently been reported stolen and Wallace’s work led to its recovery and an arrest.

Provencher responded to a crash and noted that a vehicle in the parking lot was running. A few
hours later police received a report about the running vehicle and performed a welfare check on
its owner, who was found to be experiencing a medical emergency.

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Officers Zachary Johanson and Ryan DiManno received the MADD Award for their efforts to
keep Vernon’s roadways safe. In 2024, both officers made 149 driving under the influence
arrests.

Douglas Parks received an Outstanding Citizen award for rescuing a female who had fallen into
the Bolton Lake on Christmas morning. He called police, jumped into the water and pulled the
women to the shore and with the assistance of officers was able to get her out of the water so
lifesaving measures could be initiated.

Julie Beatty received an Outstanding Citizen award for stopping and picking up a child she
found walking in the roadway with no adult in sight. She kept the child safe and called police,
who found and arrested the child’s guardian.

Rockville High School Principal Jason Magao, Vice Principal Daniel Pichette and Youth
Services Coordinator Kimberly McTighe were honored with Outstanding Citizen Awards for
working with the school resource officer to prevent and solve crimes, for assisting investigations
and for ensuring victims and families receive services and support from outside agencies.