By Guy Page
A 20 year-old-college student was ordered held without bail in Vermont criminal court Tuesday following what police say was a home invasion and assault with a deadly weapon on video journalist Hank “Planet Hank” Poitras of Brattleboro.
Julien Lemert, a Keene State College student and New York resident, was held without bail, at least until a future hearing, after pleading innocent in Vermont Superior Court (Windham County) on three felony charges: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, grand larceny and charges related to unlawful mischief.
As reported by VDC yesterday, Poitras on May 19 posted a video of police arresting Lemert in early May on charges of assaulting a woman. In the video, Lemert can be seen glaring into the camera (held by Poitras) and asking why he’s filming. Saturday, June 20, Lemert reportedly came to the controversial police news videographer’s Brattleboro home, threatened to assault him, threw a large rock at his door, and then charged through the door and attacked Poitras, who is 43, a Marine vet, and a longtime practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The two scuffled. Lemert pulled a knife. Poitras was able to restrain the larger, young er man and then separate himself from the suspect until police arrived, Poitras told VDC Monday. Poitras told VDC that the incident was clearly motivated by a desire for retribution for filming the May arrest. Planet Hank’s video of the incident appears below.
“So this one hits pretty close to home, because I am the victim of this assault,” Poitras says in the video.
