Firefighter accused of stalking ex-girlfriend
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By PATRICK McARDLE Herald Staff - Published: November 28, 2008
BENNINGTON — A member of the Bennington Rural Fire Department was arraigned on Wednesday after police said he used a stethoscope to stalk an ex-girlfriend in Woodford on Monday.
Ryan O. Nystrom, 23, of Bennington, pleaded innocent to a misdemeanor charge of stalking in Bennington District Court on Wednesday.
According to an affidavit written by Vermont State Police Trooper Jesse Robson, a complaint was called in on Tuesday by a woman who said she heard noises in her yard on Monday and found ladders and a stethoscope near her home on Tuesday morning.
Robson said he went to the home on Route 9 in Woodford to investigate the scene and speak to the woman's daughter, who once had a relationship with Nystrom.
A stethoscope found at the home was marked with the initials "BRVFD,' for "Bennington Rural Volunteer Fire Department," in two places, according to the affidavit.
Robson said he found two ladders in the yard, one of which did not belong to anyone in the house. Police believe the ladders were used to reach the porch roof.
Two cigarettes were found at the scene, one on the roof of the porch, although nobody in the home smokes, Robson said.
According to the affidavit, the woman's daughter, who once had a relationship with Nystrom, said the cigarettes were of the same brand Nystrom smokes.
Nystrom's ex-girlfriend said she was in her home on Monday with her boyfriend when the two heard noises outside her bedroom window, which overlooks the porch roof.
Witnesses said they saw someone running from the home.
Robson said the woman's boyfriend called a friend and the two of them went looking for Nystrom to see if he had been the person at the house.
The men saw Nystrom in his truck on Route 9, according to the affidavit.
Robson said Nystrom's ex-girlfriend cited multiple examples of stalking behavior including following her home twice, following her to a friend's house and making comments that indicated he had followed her to a movie theater and a restaurant.
She told police on one occasion Nystrom challenged her boyfriend to a fight.
Robson said he encouraged the woman to obtain a relief from abuse order that Robson said was granted on Tuesday.
According to the affidavit, Nystrom denied stalking the woman, but when he produced his medical kit, he was unable to find his stethoscope.
Nystrom was arrested and taken to the State Police barracks in Shaftsbury where he admitted to some of his ex-girlfriend's allegations, but continued to deny that he had been to her home on Monday, according to the affidavit.
Robson said he told Nystrom he suspected Nystrom was using the stethoscope to listen through the bedroom window, but Nystrom denied the accusation.
During his arraignment on Wednesday, Bennington County Deputy State's Attorney Robert Plunkett said the state wanted the judge to set $1,000 bail on Nystrom and order him not to drive with a suspended license.
Plunkett said he believed Nystrom's license was suspended and that driving provided "further risk" to the woman Nystrom is accused of stalking.
Judge John Wesley agreed to impose the bail, citing a violation of an abuse prevention order from October 2007 as evidence that Nystrom didn't always follow court orders.
Other members of the Bennington Rural Fire Department have also had legal troubles this year.
Roger L. Dunham, 33, of Bennington, was ordered in September to stay away from a woman, who was also a member of the fire department, after a superior court judge ruled there was evidence that Dunham had sexually assaulted her in Rutland on Sept. 6 and 7.
The finding was part of a hearing for a protective order and Dunham has not been charged with or convicted of sexual assault in a criminal court.
In May, two former members of the Bennington Rural Fire Department, Assistant Chief Shawn LaFountain, 31, and firefighter Colby Harwood, 22, were arraigned in Bennington District Court. Both were accused of sexual contact with a 15-year-old member of the department's junior firefighter program.
Harwood pleaded guilty in September to two misdemeanor counts of prohibited acts and received a six-to 12-month suspended sentence.
Felony charges of sexual assault on a victim less than 16 years old and lewd-and-lascivious conduct with a child against LaFountain are still pending.
Contact Patrick McArdle at patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com.
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