Pair faces charges after gas station burglaries in Waterbury, Northfield

June 2, 2026 | By Eric Blaisdell | Times Argus staff writer 

BARRE — A Granite City man is accused of breaking into two gas stations, one each in Waterbury and Northfield, and a woman is accused of assisting him at one of the locations.

Michael J. McElroy, 33, pleaded not guilty Friday in Washington County criminal court in Barre to two felony counts of burglary, a felony count of aggravated vehicle operation without the owner's consent, and lewd and lascivious conduct, along with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. If convicted, McElroy faces a maximum sentence of 44 years in prison. He was released on a $1,000 unsecured appearance bond. 

The state had asked that McElroy be held without bail after adding a habitual offender enhancement to one of his burglary charges, which carries with it a maximum sentence of life in prison and can be added to a felony charge if a defendant has at least three prior felony convictions. 

But McElroy's attorney at arraignment, Avi Springer, objected to that enhancement, saying it appeared the state may have been using two felony convictions from the same incident to get to three felony convictions to make McElroy eligible for such an enhancement, which isn't allowed. 

With the record unclear Friday on where the prior convictions stemmed from, Judge Michael Harris said the enhancement would not be included in the burglary charge at this time.

Trooper Alyssa Nozka of the Vermont State Police said in her affidavit to the court that police received a call at 3:50 a.m. Friday morning, reporting a door had been smashed at the Champlain Farms/Shell gas station on Vermont Route 100 in Waterbury. Nozka said the caller reported they deliver newspapers to the location and found the door smashed and open, though no people or vehicles were seen in the area. 

Nozka said she went to the scene and saw a rock and several merchandise trays on the floor of the store. The trooper said the area near the cash register was in disarray, and it appeared several items were missing. 

Nozka said investigators were provided with surveillance footage from the store. The footage showed a person inside the store with their face partially covered and that the person was using a dark-colored pickup truck, according to court records.

Nozka said police then received a report about an active burglary at the South Village Mobil on Vermont Route 12 in Northfield. The trooper said the caller reported someone had broken into the store, and the caller had locked themselves in the bathroom. Nozka said the caller reported hearing the door smash.

Nozka said police arrived to find the front door smashed in and no one apart from the caller was found inside. She said the witness reported she heard a male and female inside the store, and the female was telling the male what to take. 

The trooper said a rock was again found near the front door and several items were scattered on the floor. 

Nozka said investigators found a receipt on the ground in front of the store. The receipt belonged to the owner of the truck, according to court records. 

The trooper said a bit later on, police in Berlin reported a crash involving a vehicle matching the truck's description. Nozka said the truck had significant front-end damage after crashing at the intersection of Route 62 and Paine Turnpike North. 

Nozka said a male and female exited the truck and were identified as McElroy and Samantha Jarvis, 39, also of Barre. Jarvis pleaded not guilty Monday to a felony count of burglary and was released on conditions. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. 

Nozka said a bag containing merchandise, including cigarettes and candy, fell out of the truck when Jarvis exited. 

The trooper said McElroy reported he and Jarvis were walking when they found the truck on a dirt road. McElroy reported he wanted to bring the truck to police in Barre City, but Jarvis begged him not to, according to court records. 

Nozka said McElroy admitted he didn't have a valid driver's license and had consumed alcohol earlier. The trooper noted she could smell alcohol coming off of him. She said McElroy gave a preliminary sample of his breath, which showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.139%. In Vermont, a driver is considered intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08%.

She said McElroy had several cuts on his hands, and glass fragments were found in his shoes when he was taken into custody. 

She said McElroy later refused to provide another sample of his breath for an evidentiary test.

Nozka said a records check confirmed his license was criminally suspended. 

Later that morning, the trooper said the owner of the pickup called to report that the vehicle had been stolen from his home in Barre. 

While in custody, Nozka said McElroy was seen in the holding cell pleasuring himself. She said when he was asked to stop by troopers, he acknowledged he was pleasuring himself, and continued to do so. 

This story was originally published by The Times Argus on June 1.