STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Man arrested in connection with situation in Waterbury

 

WATERBURY, Vermont (Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023) — Following continued investigation, the Vermont State Police is able to identify the individual involved in this incident as Ryan Sturtevant-Hatch, 30, who has no fixed address.

 

Investigators have learned that Sturtevant-Hatch had left a drug treatment and recovery facility Monday in violation of court-ordered conditions and had been staying in a rental cabin on Cabin Lane in Waterbury with two acquaintances. On Tuesday night, he began destroying property and damaging the residence, causing the two acquaintances to flee the cabin. At some point overnight, Sturtevant-Hatch appears to have injured himself by jumping out of the cabin through a window. He subsequently told police that he was injured when an assailant broke into the cabin and fired multiple rounds at him from a handgun, but no evidence was located at the scene to indicate a shooting had occurred.

 

The Stowe Police Department had been searching for Sturtevant-Hatch to arrest him for violating court conditions, which stemmed from an underlying assault and robbery case. Stowe police officers took him into custody Wednesday night upon his discharge from the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. He was transported to the Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury and jailed for lack of $200 bail and an approved residence. Further questions about the Stowe case should be directed to the Stowe Police Department.

 

A court appearance for Sturtevant-Hatch is expected as soon as Thursday in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Hyde Park. Members of the media should call the Court Clerk’s Office for confirmation.

 

The Vermont State Police investigation into the Waterbury situation remains active and ongoing. Upon completion of the investigation, the case will be turned over to the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office for review of possible charges, including unlawful mischief and providing false information to police.

 

No further information is available at this time. The state police will continue providing updates as the investigation continues.

 

 

***Update No. 1, 6:55 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023***

Members of the Vermont State Police are continuing to investigate an incident that occurred Wednesday morning in which a man was injured and taken to the hospital.

 

At this point in the investigation, detectives have been unable to confirm whether the man’s injuries were the result of gunfire or some other cause. Police are actively investigating the circumstances of how the man was injured, and whether anyone else was involved. The identity of the injured man is being withheld at this time pending further investigation.

 

The state police has conducted interviews with several witnesses and has additional interviews scheduled. Detectives also are seeking search warrants for several cabins along Cabin Lane in Waterbury.

 

Investigators have determined that two calls to the police Wednesday morning related to this incident. The first occurred at about 10 a.m. when the owners of cabins along Cabin Lane encountered an injured man, who reported having been shot, but he subsequently left the area after the owners called 911. At about 11 a.m., the same man entered a nearby business on foot and reported having been injured in an accident in the woods. State troopers were in the area after having responded to the earlier call and responded within minutes to the business, where they encountered the injured man and summoned medical personnel.

 

VSP continues to ask that anyone with information about this incident call the Berlin Barracks at 802-229-9191 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

 

***Initial news release, 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023***

The Vermont State Police is investigating a non-fatal shooting that was reported Wednesday morning, Feb. 15, 2023, in the town of Waterbury.

 

No one is in custody, and members of the public should expect to see a heavy police presence in Waterbury, especially along Vermont Route 100 in the vicinity of the Green Mountain Club, while the investigation is underway.

 

The situation was reported shortly before 11 a.m. when the victim, an adult man, entered a local business near Cabin Lane and Route 100 and reported having been injured in the woods nearby. First responders determined the victim had been shot. He was transported by ambulance to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

 

This investigation is in its earliest stages and involves members of the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Field Force Division and special teams including the K-9 Unit.

 

Anyone with information that could assist investigators in this case is asked to call the Vermont State Police in Berlin at 802-229-9191. Tips also may be submitted anonymously online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

No further details are available. The Vermont State Police will provide updates as the investigation continues.

 

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