By Guy Page
A Georgia man is in jail and due in court Friday after he barricaded himself inside a home Thursday, August 22. After more than four hours he surrendered when police used ‘flash-bang’ grenades.
The incident elicited a heavy police response, including 10 police cruisers driving from eastern Vermont at a high rate of speed. Commenters on Reddit yesterday observed the speeding convoy of cruisers, lights flashing, near the I-89 exit in Sharon and wondered where they were going. State police authorities confirmed they were headed to Georgia.
State Police arrested Matthew Richard, 40, of Georgia Thursday, Aug. 22 on multiple charges after police say he entered a home armed with a machete and then barricaded himself in a home for more than four hours.
No one was injured in the incident. Richard is due to be arraigned Friday, Aug. 23, on charges of aggravated domestic assault, burglary, unlawful mischief, and violation of conditions of release. Richard was jailed on an outstanding arrest warrant with $10,000 bail on the violation-of-conditions charge, which arises from an underlying case involving aggravated assault on a law-enforcement officer and other counts that originate with the Swanton Police Department.
Thursday’s incident began at about 8:30 a.m. when police responded to a report that Richard was attempting to break into a home and was using a machete to threaten a family member. Richard subsequently barricaded himself in a nearby home, and police learned he might have had access to a firearm.
Multiple Vermont State Police units responded to the scene, including the Crisis Negotiation Unit, Tactical Services Unit, Bomb Squad, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program, and the K-9 Unit. Additional agencies included the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, the Milton Police Department, the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife, and AmCare.
CNU negotiators attempted to speak with Richard until about 2 p.m., when troopers deployed flash-bang devices into the residence. Richard subsequently walked out of the home and surrendered without further incident.