Brattleboro Man Shot by Police Charged with Simple Assault

A Brattleboro man was cited for simple assault and unlawful trespassing after an incident that left him shot in the leg by a Vermont State Trooper. Police responded to the home on Millbrook Road in Fayston shortly after 7 p.m. Friday night where they found 48-year-old Robert Smallidge refusing to leave the residence.

According to a police report, Smallidge reached down in the doorway to display what was believed to be a rifle, prompting Trooper Chris Brown to discharge multiple rounds in fear for his life.

Smallidge continued to ignore verbal commands from the officer after having been shot, and was tased to bring him to the ground. State police detectives later located a plastic air gun with the barrel and stock cut off during a search of the residence.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing, and will be reviewed independently by the Washington County Attorney General’s Office as is customary for officer involved shootings.