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By Michael Bielawski
A violent criminal is getting less time behind bars than the Burlington Police Chief would like to see, and the chief is letting folks know in a press release concerning the arrest of a man involved in a gunfire incident from back in May 2023.
Chief Jon Murad also thanked all those from state and local entities who have collaborated to curb what was an alarming rise in gun incidents that peaked at 26 incidents in 2022. There used to be just a few gun incidents per year, according to previous statements by the chief.
“The success the Burlington Police Department has had with diminishing gunfire since the 2022 spike stems from great investigations, good arrests, and strong prosecutions,” the chief wrote. “But we would be better off with longer terms of incarceration, and in this case, a person involved in multiple gunfire incidents is getting a suspended sentence.”
The gunfire incident involving this recent person arrested, Jwan Austin, 27, of Detroit, Michigan, occurred on May 23, 2023. At about 1 AM police were called to Riverside Ave. following calls about multiple gunshots fired. Officers showed up but the shooters had gotten away. There were bullet holes in buildings including a gas line was hit, but no apparent signs of serious injuries and no immediate suspects.
Nearly a year later on April 26, 2024, investigators were able to arrest Austin. He was already in custody, on March 19 he was arrested on unrelated warrants in Massachusetts.
One of the updates says that Austin “was resolved of several cases he was involved in” on July 11. It turns out he was involved in two gunfire incidents in 2023, the one in May and another on July 29 of that year. It’s described in the presser as “a discharge at College and South Winooski.”
At this point free again, he had to be tracked down and arrested again. The most recent update which came out on Monday states, “On July 25, 2024, officers with the South Burlington Police Department recognized a male they knew to be John Austin who was wanted for Aggravated Assault with a Weapon stemming from a Burlington Police incident on May 23, 2023.”
Initially, he had fled by foot into a swampy wooded area near I-89. The BPD assisted in the search and he was eventually located and arrested.
As is increasingly the case, this criminal has an extensive crime record and nonetheless was released to commit new crimes. This comes as Chittenden County State Attorney Sarah George is under scrutiny for allowing 93% of those who violated conditions of release back onto the streets according to the latest BPD monthly chief’s report.
The chief has said over recent years that the city usually would get about two gun incidents per year over the previous decade (the 2010s), yet after the department’s defunding via attrition by about 30 percent back in June of 2020, trends turned for the worst.
Murad’s comments in the press release concluded that gunfire incidents should have more serious consequences. “Our police department continues to support the creation of a felony Reckless Endangerment charge, when a firearm is discharged in a reckless manner.”
Author’s note: The police presser once referred to Jwan Austin as John Austin. There may be a further update to clarify which (or both) names are correct.
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
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Categories: Burlington, Crime
unbelievable!!! Sarah George and anyone making these decisions have to go!!
question/// is sarah george one of the zoo masters////
Why am I not at all surprised that the criminal will be receiving a suspended sentence. With the rise in crime and the extremely obvious cause of those repeated crimes, can anyone answer me just one simple question? I think we all have seen just how “progressive” S/A George is. Why is her methods labelled as progressive. Where is the progress? A descent into hell? I always think of progress being a good thing, but this is the polar opposite. I think “Destroyer of Worlds” is a more apt title. We are watching what so-called Progressives can do to a city when they have free reign. Before long, property values will begin the downward spiral, businesses will be pulling out (just like in San Francisco), drug addicts and needles will be everywhere (oops, that is already the case), the number of homeless will increase and the Spirit of Burlington will be dead and buried. I live in Southern Vermont and I can tell you that no one down here will ever travel to Burlington these days. Just like the hell-holes of Springfield, Mass, and Hartford, Ct. You often hear, “why would you ever want to go there?” Just take a look at any of the named Progressive Cities in this country. No one wants to move there. The same will be said of Burlington.
When “liberal” got a bad taint to it, they switched to “progressive”. It’s getting to the point where “progressive” is smelling bad now, so what’s next?
It just goes to show that electing a D/P and them keeping control is more important than our safety! Time to fire them!!
No republican ran against her in 2022.
That may be Davis Davis, but she was challenged in the Democratic primary by Ted Kenney, a relatively moderate Dem, as Dems go.
As I have advocated before, this is just another manifestation of this state turning into “California”. Enough of this so called progressive crap! Brattleboro is catching up to be another NON-desination.
Even California isn’t this bad, statistically.
Ouch…
California still has a manufacturing base and actually makes stuff other than maple candy and moonbat ice cream. Vermont is a welfare state with a huge pension liability now due to leftist leadership…and we keep inviting in more non-productive people. “Living free” used to be a positive thing…now it is “live for free”…
Who in their right mind would keep voting for Sarah George, considering the craphole she has turned Burlington into ?
No republican ran against her in 2022.
That may be Davis Davis, but she was challenged in the Democratic primary by Ted Kenney, a relatively moderate Dem, as Dems go.
“…Sarah George…” ??? why do we tolerate this? We’ve inflicted her on ourselves.
Just pathetic. He gets another participation trophy for his mantle. Maybe next time he kills someone. What’s the penalty for that George? Does he get a new gun with your name engraved on it?
And you wonder why the state, especially Burlington ” The Cesspool City ” has become what it has, throwing in the inept legal system……it’s pretty pathetic.
Well you reap what you sow, Yup, you vote these woke fools in !!
That’s because no republican ran against her in 2022.
That may be Davis Davis, but she was challenged in the Democratic primary by Ted Kenney, a relatively moderate Dem, as Dems go.
The system needs bad guys with guns on the streets. How else are they going to take your guns? This should be a zero tolerance issue. People that can’t be trusted with guns should never be allowed to live with the rest of society, plane and simple.
Federal law clearly states marijuana users are not allowed to posses firearms. Are people that lie about their personal consumption when making purchases to be trusted or should they, at your suggestion, be removed from society?
@David davis – 4473’s are illegal. The people who made these 4473’s cannot be trusted to live with the rest of society. Plane them to a simple island somewhere away from the rest of us.
You should be judged by your actions. If you use guns for bad you should be separated from the rest of us forever. The system doesn’t want people that do bad things with guns to be separated from the rest of us. They need those types of people so they can enslave you.
In what ways are 4473s illegal? You’d have to be the one smokin the reefer to say that.
Don’t lie and buy. Simple as that.
This is why I will not go into burlington. Between the criminals roaming the streets, homeless encampments on the waterfront and drug addicts passed out in public and nothing being done why would anyone want to subject themselves to that?
Question for the Governor and Attorney General: When prosecutors fail to prosecute crimes, fail to apply the criminal codes and laws as written, fails to uphold public safety as sworn to do in their capacity – what is your job to address willfully and knowingly dereliction of duty of said prosecutors? When the judiciary, court officers, friends of the courts, and other law enforcment officials fail to hold prosecutors to account and do not take action under their authority, are they derelict of duty as well? Judge Joe Brown is apparently correct when he says career prosecutors are lazy, worthless and don’t care about the law or people. He was speaking of Kamala Harris and every prosecutor he’s known through his career. Appears he is spot on.
didn’t have to read the whole story, I knew we were all talking about Sarah George, shes the worst, and many criminals are on the street because of her.
She may be the “worst”, but she is by no means, the only . We need prosecutors that prioritize the victims, and will enforce consequences that are commensurate with the crime on the perpetrators.
to derelict progressive prosecutors, the criminals ARE the victims…the actual crime victims are simply the collateral damage done by “an uncaring society”…