STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 25B4002345
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME:
Detective Sgt. Jesse Robson
STATION: Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal
Investigations Troop B West – Rutland
CONTACT#: 802-773-9101
DATE/TIME: 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, 2025
INCIDENT LOCATION: Café Provence, Brandon, VT
INCIDENT TYPE: Stabbing
VICTIM: Robert Barral
AGE: 71
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Brandon, VT
ACCUSED: Jozef I. Eller
AGE: 32
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Hancock, VT
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
The Vermont State Police is investigating a stabbing that
occurred Saturday afternoon, April 5, 2025, at a restaurant in the town of
Brandon. VSP is warning the public to be on the lookout for the suspect.
The incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. at Café Provence when
a former employee, identified as Jozef I. Eller, 32, of Hancock entered the restaurant
and attacked the chef and owner, Robert Barral, 71, of Brandon. Following the
assault, Eller fled the scene driving north on U.S. Route 7 in his white 2017 Ford
F-150 pickup truck with Vermont license plate 473A799. His whereabouts are
unknown.
Eller should be considered extremely dangerous, and members
of the public should not approach and instead call 911 immediately if they see
him. Eller is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, with
brown hair and brown eyes. Several photographs of Eller are attached to this
release, including his driver’s license image and several more recent images
that more closely resemble his current appearance. A photograph of his Ford
truck also is attached.
Chef Barral was brought by ambulance to Rutland Regional
Medical Center, where he was receiving treatment Saturday night. His injuries
are not believed to be life-threatening, but the extent is currently unknown.
Anyone with information that could assist the state police
on this matter or who has information about Eller’s location should call the
VSP barracks in Rutland at 802-773-9101. Anonymous tips also can be submitted
online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
No further information is available at this time. The state
police will provide updates as the investigation continues.
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