by Guy Page
The attempted murder of a Lyndon man was occasioned by his racial comments about the suspect’s BIPOC children, a police affidavit cited by the Caledonian-Record says.
Alaina Bouchard, 35, of West Glover pleaded innocent Monday, September 9 in Vermont Superior Court in St. Johnsbury to attempted murder and other charges after an early morning shooting at a man fleeing her home.
Five minutes after midnight on Saturday, Sept. 7, State Police received several 911 calls from Jordan Labounty, 35, of Lyndon Center, who reported having been shot at while fleeing a home in West Glover.
According to a police affidavit reported in a Tuesday, September 10 Caledonian-Record news story headlined “Gunfire Follows Drinks, Conversation About Racial Discrimination,’ Bouchard and Labounty met online and then at her home, enjoying drinks and getting to know each other. Then – “Bouchard made a comment that when people see her out with her children they don’t approach her because one of her children is Hispanic and another is African American.”
Labounty reportedly then said “Aryan’ people like him don’t like ‘people like that’ in Vermont,” adding that Bouchard “interpreted” his comments to mean “he did not want minorities in Vermont when that was not his intention.”
Trooper Rice’s court affidavit then said that Labounty said Bouchard stormed off inside the house, muttering death threats. Then Labounty decided to leave, but not soon enough – Bouchard emerged from the house and shot at his departing vehicle. Bullet holes were found in the front seat, police say.
For her part, Bouchard said she feared for her children and wished only to scare Labounty off, the Caledonian-Record news story said. She was ordered held without bail after her arraignment, where the prosecutor said it’s not the first time she has shot at someone.
There are no further details about an alleged shooting incident. However, in May of this year, Bouchard was arrested and cited for domestic assault in the presence of a child, according to Caledonian-Record police blotter reports. The incident reportedly happened on Bean Hill Road in Glover. Trooper Richard Berlandy stated that Bouchard was arrested and taken to the Vermont State Police Derby Barracks for processing. She was issued a citation requiring her to go to Orleans Superior Court for arraignment on Tuesday.