BARRE — A South Royalton man is accused of pointing a gun at another man and threatening to carry out a shooting at a police department.
Matthew David Bashaw, 22, pleaded not guilty Feb. 21 in Washington County criminal court in Barre to a felony count of aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of stalking, domestic assault, negligent operation, reckless endangerment, criminal threatening and disorderly conduct.
If convicted, Bashaw faces a maximum sentence of 21 years and eight months in prison. He was ordered held without bail pending a weight-of-the-evidence hearing and is currently housed at Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury.
Officer Brittany Lewis, of the Barre City police, said in her affidavit on Feb. 18, an incident was reported at Green Acres involving a gun. Lewis said the caller reported Bashaw had pointed a gun at someone at the apartment complex. She said another witness reported he saw Bashaw pull a gun during the altercation and point it at another male before leaving the scene.
Lewis said she then spoke to a woman who used to be in a relationship with Bashaw who reported Bashaw had followed her from a local convenience store. She said this woman reported Bashaw followed her home and then came out with a gun.
The officer said she then spoke with a male who now was in a relationship with the woman. She said he reported Bashaw had pointed the gun at him.
Lewis said the victim reported Bashaw tried to hit his vehicle with Bashaw’s vehicle while they were driving to Green Acres from the store.
She said the victim reported he approached Bashaw to see what was going on and Bashaw tried to “get physical” with the victim and then pulled the gun. The victim reported Bashaw drew the gun, chambered a round and pointed it at him. Lewis said the victim reported he ran up to Bashaw and told Bashaw to shoot him, but Bashaw left.
Lewis said the victim reported he believed Bashaw was going to shoot him.
The officer said while police were investigating the incident, the woman reported she had received a text message from an unknown number that said, “I’ll see him around.” Lewis said the woman reported she believed the message came from Bashaw. Lewis said the woman later reported Bashaw had returned to Green Acres and had made a motion with his arm as if he were holding a gun while driving by, but police were unable to locate him at that time.
Lewis said she then called Bashaw who reported he hadn’t been to Green Acres in months and was not involved in this incident.
She said it sounded as if Bashaw was at a bar during the phone call, but he reported he was “at a campfire” in Bethel. Lewis said she located Bashaw’s vehicle at Gusto’s, a bar in Barre. Inside the vehicle, she said she saw a box of ammunition, a glass pipe containing what appeared to be partially burned marijuana and many alcohol containers.
Lewis said investigators waited for Bashaw to leave the bar, and he was seen walking towards the vehicle. She said he then spotted police and started walking in another direction.
Lewis said Bashaw was taken into custody. On him, police found a large knife and a key for the vehicle that belonged to Bashaw, according to court records.
Lewis said the woman involved in the incident had since obtained an abuse prevention order against Bashaw. She said while she read him the order, Bashaw threatened to return to Green Acres and shoot people there. Lewis said he also threatened to carry out a shooting at the police department and at an investigator’s home.
She said Bashaw had a white residue around his nostril, which appeared to show he had ingested cocaine before he was taken into custody. Lewis said he also was complaining of dry mouth, a known sign of stimulant use, and smelled mildly of alcohol.
Court records don’t state whether police were able to locate the gun.
