By Patrick Mcardle
Staff Writer
WEST HAVEN, Vt. — A Vermont State Police Trooper who fired his gun during a Dec. 6 incident in West Haven when a Fair Haven man allegedly drove his vehicle at police will not face criminal charges for the shooting, according to Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan.
Trooper Craig Roland, who works out of the Rutland barracks of the Vermont State Police fired two shots during the incident, but neither apparently hit anyone.
The Attorney General’s Office is declining to prosecute Roland, a news release issued Monday stated.
By email, VSP spokesman Adam Silverman stated the agency was limited in what it could say since charges are still pending against 70-year-old Reginald Book, the Fair Haven man alleged to be the vehicle driver.
“We appreciate the work of the Attorney General’s Office in reviewing these complex matters. Since criminal charges against the suspect remain pending in this case, we are unable to make any further comment at this time,” he said.
The VSP Major Crimes Unite investigated the incident and presented their findings to Donovan’s office before the decision was made not to seek prosecution.
The Major Crimes Unit investigation found that troopers had been sent to a farm in West Haven for a report of a family fight.
Police determined that Book would be arrested because family members had alleged assault.
Book was found at a different farm, close to the one where the family farm was located.
He was alone, driving a small transport bus that was stopped, but which Book would not turn off or leave.
Book called 911 and had a lengthy discussion with a dispatcher that was played in court. The dispatcher told Book repeatedly that police planned to arrest him and asked him to get out of the bus so the situation could be resolved peacefully.
Spike strips were placed in front of and behind the bus.
When Trooper Jeremy Sullivan attempted to move one of the spike strips, Book unexpectedly drove his vehicle in the direction of the law-enforcement officer. In response, Roland fired two rounds from his service weapon at the bus, police said.
Sullivan was not struck.
Book was later taken into custody and charged by the Rutland County State’s Attorney Rose Kennedy
A news release from the VSP released in December stated police first encountered Book during that incident around 2:30 p.m. and didn’t take him into custody until around 1:20 a.m., about 11 hours later.
Book was arraigned in Windsor County Court, as part of pandemic-related measures to reduce the activity in various Vermont courthouses, on a felony count of second-degree attempted murder as well as one felony count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and trespass into an occupied home.
Book also was charged with one misdemeanor count each of simple assault, resisting arrest and simple assault on a protected person which caused bodily injury.
Police affidavits filed in the case said the incidents happened over a four-day period when he was visiting Vermont from Florida.
During one of the alleged incidents, police arrested Book. Three troopers and a Castleton police officer had to struggle with Book to get him into handcuffs and the Castleton officer was allegedly hurt in the process.
The charge of second-degree attempted murder is punishable by up to life in prison and a presumptive minimum of 20 years in jail.
patrick.mcardle @rutlandherald.com
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