BENNINGTON — Bennington Police Department, with the assistance of several other agencies, including the Vermont State Police, tracked down and arrested a fugitive who has been on the run from the law since Sept. 8.
Authorities surrounded a house at 3 Division Pl. in Bennington just after 8 p.m. on Sunday night, acting on knowledge that 37-year-old Zachary Dumas was inside. A search warrant was issued soon after, giving the police to enter the building.
With BPD, the Vermont State Police and Bennington Fire Department and other law enforcement agencies in position around the residence with floodlights trained on it for visibility, a tactical team made entry into the building with canine units and brought Dumas into custody after a standoff of about an hour.
Dumas was the subject of an arrest warrant issued Sept. 8 by the Vermont Department of Corrections after he disappeared from a DOC Community Supervision program, and is also facing charges of second degree attempted murder and assault and robbery with injury.
Attempts to locate him by members of BPD and the Vermont DOC have been made since that warrant was issued. Dumas’ whereabouts were unknown until Thursday, Sept. 14, at about 1:30 p.m, when BPD received a tip that he was spotted at 303 Pleasant St.
Dumas eluded arrest when police responded there by diving onto the second-story rooftop and jumping from it. He was tracked to the Booth Terrace area, and later spotted in the area of Middle Pownal Road, but was able to escape, with authorities calling off the search for him at 10:30 p.m. that evening. He was at at large until the arrest this evening.
At approximately 8:48 PM, Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette called out Dumas on a squad car loudspeaker, telling Dumas that the building was surrounded and that he had five minutes to surrender. Doucette made the announcement four more times before a group of officers in flak vests and helmets rushed the building, knocking in a side door as a police canine entered the building.
Several minutes later, police could be heard yelling for Dumas to get on the ground. At 8:58, Dumas was escorted out of the front door in handcuffs and placed in a Bennington Police squad car. He was brought to the Bennington Police building on South Street for processing.
The Banner will update the story as more information becomes available.