Lamoille County man admits running drug house

Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Masterson said in court Stokowski was the owner and occupant of the residence and made it available to multiple drug dealers, including Theodore Bland, 28, of Burlington, his girlfriend Teesha Nooth, 30, and Brendan Salmon, 31, of Hartford, Conn.

Masterson said Stokowski often answered the front door and obtained the drugs from one of the dealers staying in the house. He would secure the crack cocaine and fentanyl from the drug dealer and hand back the money from the buyer, she said.

Bland, formerly of Stowe, remains a person of interest in a double homicide case of two 21-year-old found shot to death last October in Lamoille County, according to reporting by Vermont News First and the News and Citizen.

Bland has pleaded guilty to a gun case and two drug counts remain pending.

Jahim Solomon of Pittsfield, Mass. and Eric White of Chicopee, Mass. were found fatally shot in Eden. They had been reported missing by their families on Oct. 15.

No charges have been filed in the double homicide.

There was some question as to whether Stokowski should be released last week pending sentencing. Chief Federal Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford noted he had failed to appear for his initial change of plea hearing on March 29 and was 45 minutes late for his hearing last week.

“We need a lasso,” Crawford said, before taking a recess to see if he would arrive.

Stokowski eventually arrived, and Crawford agreed to release him pending sentencing.

He faces a possible 20-year prison term, up to three years of supervised release and up to a $500,000 fine, Crawford said. A pre-sentence investigation was ordered.

Stokowski is well-known to Morristown Police, the Vermont Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force and others in law enforcement for his drug business, authorities said.

Stokowski was initially indicted for a single count of knowingly and intentionally distributing crack cocaine in August 2023.

As the investigation into Stokowski continued, in November Morristown and state police raided his brown-colored home near Trombley Hill Road.

The Vermont State Police Technical Services Unit, Crisis Negotiation Unit and its Drone Aircraft Division were present for the raid.

Stokowski denied the felony drug sale charge on Feb. 6. The prosecution tried unsuccessfully at the time to detain Stokowski as a danger to the community.

Magistrate judge Kevin J. Doyle released Stokowski, who had lived in Lamoille County for much of his life, under strict conditions, including having no contact with various witnesses, among them, Bland, Nooth and Salmon.

But assistant U.S. attorney Jason M. Turner argued that Stokowski’s criminal history showed numerous instances of criminal activity while out on conditions from state court on prior charges.

Within six weeks of his drug sale arraignment, Stokowski struck a deal with federal prosecutors to admit to running a major drug house in Morristown.