BRATTLEBORO — Former Bellows Falls Village Police Chief Ron Lake pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he forged the signature of his former girlfriend on bank mortgage loan documents.
Lake, 61, retired as Bellows Falls chief in March 2020 and the incidents allegedly took place after his retirement, in November 2021.
He was arraigned Tuesday in Windham Superior Court on two felony counts, forgery and forgery uttering, and was released on conditions that he have no contact with his former girlfriend, who had moved to Rhode Island, according to court records.
She told Vermont State Police detectives that she discovered her signature was forged on a refinancing document in 2024, when she came back to Vermont to try and get her name off the deed of the property and get her $10,000 deposit back from when she and Lake bought the property on Mandigo Road together.
She said she paid $600 a month toward the $1,450 mortgage when she lived with Lake, but that they purchased the house in 2010, and she moved out in 2015 or 2016, although she moved once during that time.
The pair lived together at Mandigo Road twice, and the woman told police they bought the property together because they couldn’t afford it separately. At one point, they lived there together with their combined six children.
As police chief, Lake made $72,600, and he retired in March 2020 after being on medical leave for several months. He had been chief for 12 years, and before that, was a deputy in the Windham County Sheriff’s Department.
According to court documents, Lake told state police investigators that his ex-girlfriend wanted $20,000 in exchange for having her name removed from the deed and mortgage, but that the dispute was never resolved.
Police also interviewed former Rockingham Town Clerk Darlene Wyman, who had notorized the 2021 loan modification with the woman’s forged signature. Wyman said she trusted Lake because he was the village police chief and a friend of her late husband, but told detectives she shouldn’t have notorized the statement because she didn’t see the woman sign the document.
Windsor County State’s Attorney Ward Goodenough is prosecuting the case since the Windham County state’s attorney’s office has a conflict due to Lake's long history as chief.
In court documents, there was no explanation for the delay in bringing charges against Lake, since police investigated in 2024 and again in early 2025. Lake was cited by police in January 2026.
The two forgery counts each carry a potential 10 year sentence and a $1,000 fine.
Lake was represented at his arraignment by Daniel Stevens of the Windham County public defender’s office.
