Rifle threat leads to assault citation

Posted Sunday, March 24, 2019 3:21 pm

BRATTLEBORO — Police responded Saturday to a resident on West River Road for a report of an intoxicated man who threatened people with a rifle then left into the woods.

The Brattleboro Police Department initially searched the scene and the Vermont State Police assisted with a more thorough search later, according to a press release.

BPD said it eventually located Joshua A. Tefft, 39, of Brattleboro, in the woods on an adjacent property. Police also recovered a firearm from the scene.

Police said Tefft was taken into custody without incident and transported to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital due to cold weather exposure. Tefft was later taken to the Brattleboro Police Department, where he was processed and held on $5,000 bail for three counts of aggravated domestic assault. He will be arraigned Monday at the Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division.

BPD shut down Route 30 in the area of the incident to ensure public safety. The road was closed for about an hour and a half.