Local News

Man accused of threatening Vermont House speaker picks up more charges

By Eric Blaisdell
TIMES ARGUS
RUTLAND, Vt. — A Williston man accused of threatening the speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives has picked up another charge alleging he tagged the speaker in a Facebook post in violation of an order against stalking.

Kyle Wolfe, 34, also is accused of violating his conditions of release.

Wolfe pleaded not guilty Monday in Rutland County criminal court to misdemeanor counts of violating the order and violating conditions of release. If convicted, Wolfe faces a maximum sentence of a year and six months in prison. He was released on conditions including a 24-hour curfew at his home in Rutland, where he now lives, and no contact with House Speaker Jill Krowinski. He represented himself during Monday’s hearing.

Wolfe caused a disturbance at the State House in October, according to court records. Police said Wolfe was yelling, and when officers offered to discuss his issues in a side room, he became more agitated, stating police were violating his rights. Court records state Wolfe was then taken into custody for being disorderly.

Police said Krowinski had told them earlier in the day about a threatening email Wolfe had sent to her about tax data.

Wolfe had asked Krowinski to respond to his request about the data, according to court records, and said, “if I do not receive at the very least, an email or phone call, within a month (11-04-2021), I am going to have to exercise my right to bare arms pertaining to improper seizure of Vermont inhabitants, tax payers, and voter’s property, of which I am.”

Wolfe told police at the State House that he had a rifle in his vehicle when he was taken into custody. Police said they executed a search warrant on Wolfe’s vehicle and found an unloaded muzzleloader inside a gun case.

On Wolfe’s Facebook page, police said they found multiple photos of Wolfe with the weapon.

On May 27, Wolfe posted a video of himself with the gun and stated, in part, “And for the record, I have zero problems putting a government official to death based on the severity of the offense,” according to court records.

Wolfe has been charged with misdemeanor counts of aggravated disorderly conduct, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a competency and sanity evaluation has been ordered in that case. Wolfe was hospitalized for over two months following the incident at the State House, according to court records.

For the stalking prevention order violation, Chief Matthew Romei, of the Capitol Police, said in his affidavit on Dec. 13 a final order against stalking was issued against Wolfe where he was ordered to stay away from Krowinski and could not post to or about her on social media. He said Wolfe was served with the order on Dec. 28.

Romei said on Feb. 15 Wolfe made a post on Facebook with a photo of a rifle magazine with the caption, “How I Feel being Called ‘Crazy’ in Court.”

On Feb. 27, the chief said Wolfe tagged Krowinski in a Facebook post asking others to contact her about proposed legislation. Romei noted Wolfe wrote a comment on the post stating, “Yes, I am aware this is technically ‘illegal’ Jill ….”

Wolfe said on the post that he was conscientiously objecting to the order against stalking.

Romei said Krowinski was alerted to the post, because she was tagged by Wolfe, and then she contacted the chief. He said she reported she fears for her safety because she believes Wolfe is escalating. Romei said the speaker reported she has suffered emotional distress from her fear of Wolfe.

The chief said Wolfe had contacted him on Feb. 28 asking for the rifle back. Romei said he denied that request because Wolfe has conditions of release in place stating he cannot possess the muzzleloader.

For the violation of conditions of release, Romei said Wolfe made posts on his Instagram account on March 2 showing he was at a hockey rink in South Burlington. Wolfe has conditions of release in place for the disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges stating he cannot leave Rutland County.

Wolfe has appealed the order against stalking to the Vermont Supreme Court, arguing it infringes on his right to free speech by limiting his ability to criticize the government.

Police said a records check showed Wolfe has a federal felony conviction for conspiracy to distribute narcotics from 2017. While such a conviction bars Wolfe from owning a gun, a muzzleloader is considered an “antique firearm” under state law, so Wolfe was allowed to possess it at the time despite being a felon.

eric.blaisdell @timesargus.com

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