Godfrey Held for 1991 Murder
 by Alicia Morissette
HYDE PARK - The upstairs courtroom was quietly buzzing as people drifted
in a little before 1 p.m. Thursday, March 31, to see the arraignment of
58-year-old Howard "Skip" Godfrey, of Kirby, for the 1991 aggravated
murder of Patricia Scoville. The buzzing grew louder as the shackled
Godfrey was led into the courtroom from the judge's chambers by several
Lamoille County Sheriff's Department (LCSD) deputies.
One of the first things seen, as the curious drove by the courthouse,
was the large white satellite dish on top of a grey and turquoise WCAX
van. Both sides of the street were completely occupied by vehicles, and
there were people in dark suits waiting outside the courthouse.
Immediately inside, Roderick Hutchinson was at his usual post next to
the metal detector, but on this day he had to be more cautious about who
he let in the door. With latex gloves, he searched every person who
walked in the door requesting access to the court.
     After climbing the long flight of stairs and reaching the courtroom, one
could see the crowd in the small Lamoille County District Courtroom to
witness the arraignment. Legal counsel, as well as Scoville family
friends and supporters wearing buttons with Patricia's picture, waited
for David and Ann Scoville to arrive. Local police officers were present
to witness the fruition of their hard work. Other defendants and counsel
waited their turns in front of the judge. The press packed the Grand
Jury box to get a good photo as Godfrey walked out.
Godfrey had to wait only a short time before Judge Howard Van Benthuysen
walked out to begin the hearing. Oddly, Godfrey had not applied for
counsel prior to the arraignment, and was assigned local public defender
Lee Dow until he hires another attorney.
    Cindy Maguire, chief assistant attorney general for the criminal
division, asked that Godfrey be held without bail as Lamoille County
State's Attorney Joel Page sat in a nearby chair at the prosecution
desk. In response, Dow stated Godfrey was currently on parole for
aggravated assault in 1996, and "defense does not oppose" the
prosecution's request that Godfrey be held without bail.
VanBenthuysen honored the request and set the next hearing for the week
of April 11. Since, the court has pinpointed that hearing for Tuesday,
April 12, at 9 a.m. He went on to say State of Vermont versus Howard G.
Godfrey is a "life sentence case." The court was then informed that two
DNA comparisons had been performed, and a third had been requested.
After the hearing, Godfrey was led out the back of the courthouse where
media were gathered to take a picture of him leaving. Godfrey was
escorted by Lamoille County Sheriff Roger Marcoux and other officers out
to the waiting car, and Godfrey was transported back to the St.
Johnsbury Regional Correctional Facility.
      Directly after Godfrey's transportation, a press conference was held.
Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell said a few words, praising
everyone who worked on the Scoville case by saying, "We have taken a
major step in a case that has been a huge priority in this state for a
very long time." Among those thanked were the Stowe Police Department
(SPD), Joel Page and the laboratory that made the DNA match. Sorrell
also stated the investigation is still open and asked anyone with
information about Godfrey or the case to step forward.
David Scoville, Patricia's father, gave a brief address thanking Ken
Kaplan, SPD chief, and praised all who worked on the case. "Through the
spirit of cooperation," the case was solved, said Scoville, who later
said, on behalf of himself and his wife, "We feel very relieved, but
overwhelmed."
    State's Attorney Joel Page also commented, saying for "14 long years...
we have been laboring to arrive at this point that we're at today." He
continued, "Our work is just beginning." Page also reiterated the
investigation is still ongoing, so he could not comment on DNA details.
Sorrell backed Page by explaining state officials would like to "err on
the side of caution." Sorrell then added, "Few if any days have gone by
in the last 14 years when someone in law enforcement in Vermont was not
thinking about working on this case." Patricia Scoville's murder was one
of only a few unsolved cases in Lamoille County.
    Godfrey's arraignment was the result of many factors, including a 14
year investigation by SPD and the continual lobbying of David and Ann
Scoville that Vermont join the national DNA database. In fact, it was
DNA evidence that allowed the state to press charges against Godfrey.
Godfrey's DNA was taken after he was convicted on two counts of
aggravated assault in 1997 for an incident that occurred in 1996.
According to court records, on August 19, 1996, Godfrey hit Karen Kerin,
an employee of The Burlington Free Press, in the back of the head with a
piece of wood and pushed a loaded shotgun into her abdominal region.
Kerin was able to escape and called the Morristown Police Department.
Soon after, Godfrey turned himself in.
During a taped interview, Godfrey said, "I just flew off the handle
with, that's all, with her... Women kinda tick me off in restaurants,
but I don't say much to them." He also said, alluding to his 1993
divorce, he was bitter, because "I lost everything that I worked for 30
years, 50 years."
    After being convicted, Godfrey was sent to the St. Johnsbury Regional
Correctional Facility, where he served several years, Eventually a DNA
sample was taken. The sample arrived at at the VFL in late January 2000.
Then, Godfrey was released on parole for approximately four years until
his DNA was matched to semen found on Patricia Scoville's panties.
Barbara Kittredge-Russel, supervisor of the St. Johnsbury Probation &
Parole office, told the News & Citizen that Godfrey's "Supervision was
totally uneventful. No issues whatsoever." Godfrey came under the
office's supervision on March 8, 2001. He was under "furlough" for the
first year. Then he was on "parole supervision."
     According to court records, 28-year-old Patricia Scoville, of Stowe, was
murdered "on or about October 21, 1991," and the search for Scoville
began after her roommate made a report to police on October 23 that
Scoville had not returned from a bike ride earlier that week. The next
day, a 67-year-old visitor found Scoville's bike and, after a six-day
search, Scoville's body was found covered with leaves.
It was determined her death was due to asphyxia, but a deep laceration
was found on the back of her head and it was later concluded that she
had been sexually assaulted.
      An interview was conducted by SPD Detective Bruce Merriam and Vermont
State Police (VSP) Detective Edward Meslin on March 30 of this year, at
Godfrey's place of business, S.G. Windows & Doors in Orleans. During
that time, Godfrey denied knowing, dating or having sex with Patricia
Scoville. He also denied ever having gone to the Moss Glen Falls area.
After this, Detective Merriam arrested Godfrey and both detectives
transported him to the St. Johnsbury VSP station.
At the VSP station, Godfrey stated, "you obviously have uh the evidence
that I had sex with Patricia Scoville, and that was my concern up there.
If I admitted to that, then automatically you were gonna charge me with
murder...I just admitted to you that I did have sex with her." Godfrey
said he thought this was as far as he should go without a lawyer.
According to Merriam's check into Godfrey's background, from 1990-1992
Godfrey owned a house and land in Morristown Corners, which is only 6.2
miles from the Moss Glen Falls area, and he also had a Morristown
address. However, police believe Godfrey and Scoville did not know each
other. After his interview with Merriam and Meslin, Godfrey was lodged
at the St. Johnsbury Regional Correctional Facility to await his
arraignment on Thursday.
     Unfortunately, the DNA match that led to Godfrey's arrest for the murder
of Patricia Scoville was not made immediately after Godfrey was
incarcerated in 1997, nor in 1998 when Vermont created a DNA database,
after much lobbying by Scoville's parents and others.
     According to some officials, the testing was not done due to lack of
funds. Court records explain the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
received the DNA sample found on Scoville's body on May 24, 1999 and
entered it later that year. However, the Vermont Forensic Laboratory
(VFL) "did not have the DNA profiling method on-line that was being
implemented in the national database so the lab could not, at that time,
do the DNA typing that was required for inclusion in CODIS [Combined DNA
Index System]," stated Merriam's report.
    Finally, on February 28, 2005, after many years of waiting, a DNA match
was made by an FBI analyst, who informed Dr. Eric Buel of VFL. After
that, a DNA sample had to be collected from Godfrey in order to be
certain the match was correct. Police surveilled Godfrey, and received
the needed DNA sample from his discarded cigarette butts.
Now, there must be further waiting to see how Godfrey decides to
proceed, for example, he could choose to change his plea to guilty or
his defense might include a motion for change of venue. His case has
progressed from mostly a police matter to the legal stage. Of course,
police investigation continues ...

David Scoville on the DNA Database
by Amy Kolb Noyes
The News & Citizen spoke with David Scoville, Patricia's father, this
week from his home in Canandaigua, NY. David and his wife, Ann, have
worked tirelessly since their daughter's murder to make the use of DNA
evidence a viable tool for law enforcement. The Scovilles are widely
credited with bringing Vermont online with the national DNA database.
They have also fought for DNA legislation in their home state of New
York and on the federal level. It was the DNA database that eventually
snagged Skip Godfrey, now in custody accused of the Scoville murder.
"We're very pleased that the DNA database worked," Mr. Scoville
commented. He continued, "We hope that Vermont will continue to expand
their system."
      The Douglas administration has proposed an expansion of the list of
crimes for which an offender qualifies to be entered into the database.
However, no extra money has been attached to that proposal. Initial
underfunding of Vermont's DNA database led to a backlog, and a delay of
several years in the collection and testing of Godfrey's DNA.
The state's DNA database legislation, championed by the Scovilles,
required Godfrey to supply a DNA sample after his 1997 conviction for an
aggravated assault, in Morrisville. That sample was not collected until
Godfrey's release from jail in 2000, and not analyzed until February 28,
2005.
     But the Scovilles are not dwelling on any past problems.
"It doesn't really help us to focus on any mistakes," Mr. Scoville
commented. He added it is more productive to focus on learning from
those mistakes and use those lessons to make the system better.
David and Ann Scoville will continue to be vocal and fight for the
expansion of DNA database legislation. Mr. Scoville noted some states
are currently considering taking DNA from suspects, as well as criminals
convicted of violent crimes. He noted taking DNA samples routinely,
along with a suspect's fingerprints, would save law enforcement a lot of
time, energy and money.

Remembering Patty
by Amy Kolb Noyes
Arie Dickinson-Schue, of Morristown, probably knew Patricia Scoville
better than anyone else in Vermont. Still, she said, "We really didn't
know each other at all."
   Arie shared a Mountain Road apartment with Patty during the short time
she lived in Stowe. She was the one who reported Patty missing when she
never returned home from a bike ride in October 1991.
That fall, Arie had placed an ad in the paper looking for a roommate.
Patricia Scoville called her from Boston, saying she would be up in a
week to look at the apartment. Arie described her as pleasant and quite
quiet. She was a small 28-year-old woman. Arie described her as "short
and tiny boned - so vulnerable."
     Arie said, for the first week-and-a-half Patty lived in Stowe, "She was
so quiet. She kept in her room with the door closed." Patty didn't know
anyone locally and told Arie she came to Stowe to get away from the
city. Her arrival in Stowe was so sudden and seemingly out-of-the blue,
rumors circulated after her death that she was relocated by a witness
protection program. Arie said that rumor seemed feasible at the time.
Halfway through her second week in town, Arie said Patty started to come
out of her shell. She decided she would attend the annual Stowe Rescue
Squad benefit barn dance. Arie declined Patty's invitation to go out
that night, but Patty decided to attend the dance on her own. Arie
reported Patty "came back kind of late" from the dance, and said she had
a great time and had met a guy.
     The next morning, Patty was happy. Arie remembered, "For the first time
it seemed like she was having a good time being there. She went for a
bike ride and never came back."
     Two days later, Arie called the Stowe Police Department and reported her
roommate was missing. When Scoville's bicycle was found near Moss Glen
Falls, Arie thought she might have been hurt attempting to ride her
10-speed on mountain bike terrain. When Patty's body was found in that
same area six days after Arie reported her missing, police began calling
her apartment at all hours, and taking DNA samples from everyone around
her. She was asked many questions to which she had no answer, especially
about the unknown man Patty met at the barn dance. Now, 13 1/2 years
later, with a suspect in custody, Arie is pleased there is a sense of
closure.
      Of this week's media coverage on the case, Arie commented, "I was
inspired to read the parents never stopped."

Gelineau Widow Murdered
by Amy Kolb Noyes

    A year after holding a press conference at her father-in-law's Eden home
denouncing the Iraq war in which her husband fought and died, Lavinia
Onitiu Gelineau was found murdered in her Westbrook, ME, home. Police
say she was strangled by her father, Nicolae Onitiu, 51, who was
visiting from Romania. Police say Onitiu killed his daughter then hung
himself by a basement rafter in her home.
"This was a horrific case of domestic violence," commented Maine State
Police Public Relations Officer Stephen McCausland. He added
investigation has ceased in the case.
Gelineau lived in Westbrook (not far from Portland) with her mother,
Iuliana Onitiu. However Officer McCausland said Iuliana was visiting
John Gelineau (her daughter's father-in-law) in Eden, at the time of the
murder/suicide.
     Lavinia Onitiu Gelineau drew widespread attention last April by speaking
publicly against the war after her husband Christopher was killed in
Iraq. Christopher Gelineau was serving with the Maine National Guard.
Officer McCausland said Gelineau and her mother had moved into their
Westbrook home just two weeks prior to the Thursday, March 31 murder.
Westbrook police entered the home around 11 a.m. Friday, after
Gelineau's coworkers informed police she had never arrived for her last
day of work. McCausland explained Gelineau's friends have been quoted
saying she was leaving her job to go back to school.
McCausland said Gelineau's father arrived in Maine from Romania on
Wednesday, March 30 - just two days prior to killing his 25-year-old
daughter and himself.

How JSC Will Use Its Grant
by Alicia Morissette
JOHNSON - On Friday, April 1, at approximately 10:45 a.m., Johnson State
College (JSC) President Barbara Murphy received the official letter from
the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) stating that JSC had received a
five year Title III grant worth $1.7 million.
   After working on the grant application for approximately nine months
with a Vermont grant writing firm, Barbara Murphy, Academic Dean Dan
Regan and Murphy's assistant, Rhonda Miller, along with other members of
the JSC community, submitted the application for the grant in February
of 2004. Unfortunately, JSC did not get the grant that time around, but
they did come close!
     The next year, when it came time to reapply for the Title III grant, DOE
decided to award funds to the pool of applicants who had come close to
receiving the grant the previous year, without the necessity of a new
application. This time, JSC did receive the $1.7 million, which it will
be able to use starting in October 2005 for the next school year.
Considering details other than the dollar amount, Title III grants are
"considered very attractive grants," said Murphy. According to her, the
grant is fairly flexible and "allows a much broader reach," which means
the money can be used to meet many different needs such as to match
contributions, set up school scholarships or expand curriculum.
In order to apply, JSC had to have a "college plan," said Murphy. Dan
Regan stated JSC's plan focused on three specific areas: transforming
curriculum, transforming advising and increasing endowments to provide
scholarship help.
      Curriculum changes will focus on first year students in an effort to
increase their retention rates. These changes will include
out-of-classroom experiences, which include internships, undergraduate
research and hands-on experiences, said Regan.
To make these changes, JSC has developed five new freshman seminars, and
new classes such as a class on the "graphic novel," according to Murphy.
This new class focuses on both pictures and print in a unique way that
is more tailored to incoming freshmen. Murphy hopes that courses such as
the "graphic novel" will be "gateway courses to broader curriculum."
JSC also plans to use grant money to upgrade its advising services to
aid incoming students. New procedures will focus on "figuring out how
various pieces of education" will affect life after college, said Regan.
To help advisors do this, funds will be allotted to "upgrade electronic
tools...that can help map a whole college plan and career," added Murphy.
The final part of the plan is to increase endowment, which is another
way of saying student financial aid and scholarships. According to
Murphy, one reason students leave college is due to lack of funding.
Thus, money will be put into an endowment for students who need help
paying for their education.
     Another important piece of the endowment project is that money will also
be set aside to help students "have a broader education" via summer
courses or studying abroad, said Murphy. Therefore, if a student has an
opportunity to go to a foreign country to study, but does not have the
money, JSC may be able to help.
       The Title III grant will also devote up to $100,000 per year to match
any contributions to the college's endowment. According to Murphy, this
money will create scholarships that will continue beyond the life of the
five year grant, which she says is "college strengthening."
Grant funding will also be used to provide staff and faculty
development, which, according to Regan, can be as high as $968,000 per
year. Murphy said this money will allow JSC to hire professors in the
event current teachers would like to collaborate on new courses, or to
have staff take courses themselves or visit other places to enhance
their education and teaching skills.
         The best part of the Title III grant process was that JSC made some
progress during the year it did not have the grant money. According to
Regan, JSC tried to follow the plan despite the lack of federal funds,
and now that it has the grant, JSC will be able to speed the process of
the college plan. Overall, "we believe the grant's going to have a lot
of payoff," said Regan.


A Sterling Celebration
by Amy Kolb Noyes
   One hundred years ago, the residents of the Town of Sterling voted to
dissolve their town, splitting the land among the towns of Morristown,
Johnson, Stowe and Cambridge. Now, representatives from those four towns
have banded together to commemorate that anniversary.
Morristown Selectboard Chair Shaun Bryer said the group now includes
members of the various towns' selectboards and historical societies. As
they move forward with planning a commemorative event, the committee is
looking to grow its ranks.
     Bryer said the original idea to do something "just to remember the town"
was that of Johnson Selectboard chair Eric Osgood. Bryer noted this year
is also the 150th anniversary of the year Sterling was chartered. The
town had only existed for 50 years when the dissolution vote was held in
1855. In Bryer's words, Sterling was a "short-lived bustling town."
Bryer said the committee has been meeting about once per month to come
up with ideas for some sort of celebration or remembrance to be held
this fall. Ideas thus far include a re-enactment of the Town Meeting
where the dissolution vote was held, a parade, or an exhibit to travel
among the four towns. The next committee meeting will be held 9:30
Saturday morning, April 9, at the Morristown Elementary School library.
For more information call Shaun Bryer at 793-8950.

Rooney Farm Recognized for Quality Milk
by Amy Kolb Noyes
     Mud City Loop farmers David and Charlene Rooney, this week, were among a
group of organic milk producers recognized for exceptional quality.
Horizon Organic, of Boulder, CO, recognized the top 10 percent of
Horizon Organic farmer partners in each state whose milk is the highest
quality within its network. The Rooney Farm was one of three Vermont
farms to receive an Exceptional Quality Award. Nationwide, 29 winners
were selected.
     "Horizon Organic's farmer partners have always been the key to our
brand's success and these awards recognize the best of the best when it
comes to organic dairy producers," said Julie Taylor, director of milk
procurement for Horizon Organic. "Both our consumers and producers
benefit from our Producer Milk Quality Program. Our quality award
winners receive a higher premium on their milk production above the
organic pay price. This allows us to reward our partners while allowing
our consumers to expect and trust Horizon Organic will provide
consistently high quality organic products nationwide."
    David Rooney said he and Charlene began producing milk for Horizon when
it bought out Organic Cow. The Rooneys try to milk approximately 50
cows, year-round, according to David. They produce over 900,000 pounds
of milk a year, sold exclusively to Horizon. Milk produced locally for
Horizon is sent to a creamery in New York state before being distributed
to stores in this region.
     Horizon Organic is currently soliciting new farmer partners interested
in transitioning to organic farming. For more information, call Cindy
Masterman at 1-888-648-8377 or Peter Slaunwhite at 1-800-381-0980.

Union Vote Passes
by Amy Kolb Noyes
Morristown highway workers have voted overwhelmingly to unionize. In a
secret ballot held Friday, April 1, 11 of the Morristown Highway
Depart-ment's 13 eligible employees voted to be represented in
collective bargaining by the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers Local 300. One person voted against the union. Another employee
did not cast a ballot.
According to town administrator and acting highway superintendent Tag
Taginski, the Vermont Labor Board will prepare an election order to
certify the election on Monday, April 11 - ten days after the balloting.
At that time, the IBEW will be named as the highway workers' collective
bargaining representative.
After the election is certified, the town, the union and the highway
department will go forward with negotiating a contract. Part of that
negotiation will be to determine if the highway department will be an
open or closed union shop. A closed shop, Taginski explained, means all
highway employees would be required to join the union, and pay
associated union dues.
Taginski said, traditionally, Vermont municipalities do not approve
closed shops because it takes the freedom of choice away from new,
incoming employees.
Taginski also commented Friday's vote doesn't change the current
"turmoil" at the highway department. He noted the town still must hire a
new highway superintendent - the sole position at the department that
would be exempt from union membership. Decisions also need to be made
regarding the departmental structure including the roles of foremen and
Taginski's role as interim superintendent.
"This vote doesn't really change anything currently," said Taginski.
"The change would take place after negotiations."
It is likely the Morristown Selectboard will not take up the union issue
until its meeting on Monday, April 25. The next meeting of the
selectboard is scheduled for April 11, the day the vote is to be
certified. Taginski said it is not likely the Labor Board will have its
election order to the selectboard in time to be discussed that same day.