by Guy Page

Burlington’s poster child for critics of Vermont’s ‘catch and release’ criminal justice system was arrested and jailed Tuesday after he threatened food shelf staff members with a broken shard of glass.

Burlington police say that on February 4, at about 4:25 pm, officers with the Burlington Police Department were dispatched to Feeding Chittenden on North Winooski Avenue for a report that Michael Reynolds, 47, of Burlington, was refusing to leave.

When officers arrived on scene, investigation revealed Reynolds violated his conditions of release by entering the property, acted in a violent and tumultuous behavior when he was told to gather his belongings, and threatened staff members with a glass shard he was wielding. Officers took Reynolds into custody for simple assault, disorderly conduct, and violation of conditions of release.

Reynolds criminal history includes: 10 failures to appear, 3 convictions for violations of court orders or conditions, 6 felony convictions, 42 misdemeanor convictions, and 13 assaultive crime convictions.

The Burlington Police Department press release did not state the number of police encounters – reported at 1850 in press releases issued prior to Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s insistence on reviewing all police statements before publication.

Reynolds was lodged at Northwest State Correctional Facility on $1500 bail.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Burlington Police Department at (802) 658-2704.