Reginald Book, 70, of West Haven was taken into custody on Dec. 6 after a nearly-12 hour standoff with Vermont state police. He is facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and simple assault.
The first two charges arise from Book’s use of his vehicle in an attempt to run over a state trooper at the scene of the standoff on Main Road in West Haven.
The third charge stems from an incident earlier Sunday in which he and an adult male relative became involved in a physical altercation, which started this investigation.
The situation began at about 8:39 a.m. Sunday, when troopers responded to 1434 Book Rd. in West Haven following a report of a domestic dispute involving two men related to each other. Upon arrival on scene, troopers were unable to locate one of the involved parties.
Troopers learned that the situation involved a physical altercation between the two men that resulted in minor injuries.
At 2:30 p.m., while continuing to investigate the domestic dispute, troopers responded to Main Road in West Haven to attempt to speak with the man who had previously left. Troopers located Book in his vehicle, a shuttle-bus-style van, but he refused to cooperate, and a standoff ensued.
According to investigators, troopers located Book inside his van on a property at 3490 Main Rd. and attempted to arrest him on suspicion of simple assault related to the domestic dispute. Book refused orders to exit the van and began to drive aggressively around the property, at times in the direction of troopers. Troopers deployed spike strips to prevent Book from leaving the area. At one point, Trooper Jeremy Sullivan fell near the front of Book’s vehicle, and troopers on scene reported hearing the engine rev while the van accelerated toward Sullivan, placing him in fear for his life. As Trooper Sullivan stood back up, Trooper Craig Roland discharged his department-issued handgun at the van, striking the vehicle at least one time, at which point the van stopped.
Book was uninjured.
Troopers were able to take Book into custody without further incident at 1:21 a.m. Monday.
He was evaluated at Rutland Regional Medical Center and ordered held without bail. Book was transported to the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield and was due to be arraigned by video at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, in the Criminal Division of Superior Court in Rutland.
Per policy, Trooper Roland is on paid administrative leave for a minimum of five days, after which he will return to administrative duty while the investigation into the use of force is reviewed.