A 19-year-old man from Barton who is wanted for attempted murder after a shooting in Newport was picked up by police in Connecticut, police say.
Connecticut police say they located Matthew Champagne, 19, in a stolen Mercedes on Friday night. The vehicle was stolen from a gas station in the city of Meriden, Conn. When police spotted the vehicle they say Champagne attempted to flee on foot.
He has a fully extraditable warrant out of Newport after police were dispatched to Gardner Park on October 21, 2021, after a report that multiple shots had been fired in the area. Officers located 12 .40 caliber shell casings near a fence at the park. Investigators say Champagne fled Newport following the shooting.
In Connecticut he is being charged with second-degree larceny, interfering with police, reckless driving, engaging police in pursuit, and operating a vehicle without a license. He was held on a $50,000 bond.
Vermont police will be making the appropriate plans to eventually return him to Newport to answer for the attempted murder charge.