NEWPORT, A Newport Center man has denied allegations that he fired a shotgun in a threatening manner, according to court documents.
Vermont State Police Trooper Logan Miller reported that a Brownington man called around 6:30 p.m. on May 12 to say his father had arrived at his home and warned him that Michael A. Riendeau Jr., 45, was under the influence of drugs and shooting a shotgun. The caller then barricaded himself inside his home, Trooper Miller said in an affidavit.
Trooper Miller checked Riendeau's conditions of release from a prior case and found they prohibited him from possessing firearms and required him to avoid harassing two named individuals. Those conditions stemmed from Riendeau's innocent plea in January 2025 to charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and domestic assault involving a firearm.
The man who delivered the warning told police he had been staying in a trailer to avoid Riendeau, describing his behavior as increasingly violent, the affidavit states.
NEK will be looking into the details of Riendeau's prior conditions of release and whether any violation proceedings have been initiated.
Photo: Joanna Oltman (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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