SoRo man convicted of stalking, racial slurs against cops

Bruce Erdmann, 63, of South Burlington was sentenced last week in federal court to three months of incarceration and three months of home detention following his guilty plea to a charge of distribution of cocaine.

Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered Erdmann to pay a $4,000 fine and serve three years of federal supervised release. The sentence imposed by Judge Crawford was determined with reference to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. 
 
According to court records, Erdmann’s conviction stemmed from a March of 2021 incident in which he distributed cocaine to an individual within his residence, resulting in a non-fatal overdose.

SoRo man convicted of stalking, racial slurs against cops – Matthew David Bashaw, a resident of South Royalton, has been convicted of several misdemeanor charges, including stalking, recklessness, criminal threatening, giving false information to law enforcement, unlawful mischief, and aggravated disorderly conduct with a hate crime enhancement.

Bashaw was charged for pointing a gun at someone and using racist slurs against a Vermont State Police trooper, who is a person of color.

As per the plea agreement, Bashaw was sentenced to 30 days to three years in jail with credit for time served, and the state agreed to dismiss a felony count of aggravated assault, as well as misdemeanor counts of domestic assault, negligent operation, and disorderly conduct.

The charges against Bashaw stem from two separate incidents. In one incident, he pointed a gun at someone and used racist slurs against a Vermont State Police trooper. In another incident, he tried to mislead the investigation into a crash by reporting false information and damaged a police officer’s cruiser while using racial slurs against the trooper.

Bashaw’s attorney stated at the hearing that his client brandished the gun but did not point it at anyone.

Bashaw was ordered held without bail after his arraignment in late February and is currently housed at Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury. – Source: Newport Dispatch