STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

CASE#: 24A4001642

RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME:  Detective Trooper Vienna Gildea

STATION: Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations Troop A East – St. Johnsbury

CONTACT#: 802-748-3111

DATE/TIME: 2:14 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, 2024

INCIDENT LOCATION: University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT

INCIDENT TYPE: Death investigation

VICTIM: Robert L. Brown

AGE: 52

CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Johnson, VT

SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:

The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a man who was in the custody of the Vermont Department of Corrections. VSP was notified at about 11:20 a.m. Monday, March 4, 2024, that Robert L. Brown, an inmate at the Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury, had been admitted to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington and was not expected to survive. Mr. Brown, 52, of Johnson was pronounced dead at 2:14 p.m. Tuesday, March 5. Per standard protocol, a detective from the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations was assigned to the case and began a death investigation.

Initial information gathered by detectives shows that Mr. Brown had been brought by ambulance at about 9:20 a.m. Feb. 27 from the correctional complex to Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury with several health issues including shortness of breath and chest pain. He was admitted to the hospital, where his condition worsened, and he was transferred to UVMMC on Feb. 29.

The death does not appear to be suspicious. An autopsy will be performed at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Burlington to determine the cause and manner of death.

According to Department of Corrections records, Mr. Brown had been in custody since Nov. 8, 2023, on a sentence of nine months to three years on charges including DUI No. 4, operating a vehicle while license suspended, leaving the scene of a crash, unlawful trespass, and providing false information to law enforcement.

No additional information is currently available. The investigation is ongoing, and the Vermont State Police will provide updates when possible. Further questions should be directed to the Department of Corrections.

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