Poultney man held without bail after alleged knife threat
Toolbox
By Gordon Dritschilo Staff Writer - Published: June 19, 2009
A Poultney man was held without bail after police said he menaced his mother with a knife.
Herman T. Hier, 23, of Lewis Road, pleaded innocent Thursday in Rutland District Court to a felony charge of first degree aggravated domestic assault and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful mischief. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 16 years in prison and $26,000 in fines.
Hier was previously charged with aggravated assault in an alleged stabbing last year, though the charge was dropped pending further investigation when the victim, Brian Smith of Hubbardton, died from the wound.
Rutland County State's Attorney James Mongeon said Thursday police had forwarded their report on the incident to his office, but he was still reviewing it. Hier, who was engaged to Smith's estranged wife, said Smith had him in a headlock when he stabbed Smith in the leg, according to police.
Vermont State Police said they arrived at Hier's home Wednesday afternoon following a 911 call from his mother. A dispatcher said that nobody spoke on the line, but a man was audible in the background saying "you stabbed me in the back I'm going to kill you."
As troopers arrived, Hier came out of the house, red-faced and covered in sweat, and approached them in an "aggressive manner," according to affidavits. Police said they could not get control of his arms because they were slick with sweat and they had to wrestle him to the ground.
Hier's mother said her son had been threatening her, that he had dropped out of "his programs" and was not taking his medication. She said he left the house after an argument, slamming the door, and she locked it behind him.
He returned with a shovel while she was on the phone, she said, and began tearing up the garden and bird feeder. When Hier started punching the window, police said, she called 911. She said she just had time to dial the number before he battered his way through the door.
"I threw the phone hoping it didn't hang up and somebody would hear me," she said.
Hier threw her to the floor, according to affidavits, pointed the knife at her and threatened to "stab her guts out" and "pig stick" her. When he found the phone, he put a hand on his face and the knife to her throat.
"As much as I was begging and pleading with him, I really thought he was going to kill me, especially when he had the knife to my throat," she wrote in an affidavit.
Hier said he would let her live if she promised not to press charges, according to affidavits, and when police arrived, he said that if she lied to him, he would kill the police, come back and finish her off.
Police said she hurt her elbow and head when Hier knocked her down. She told police she was so afraid of him she would sell her house if he were let out of jail.
After his arrest, police said Hier told them he would "do his time like he always does and when he gets out, he will get justice."
In court Thursday, Judge Thomas Zonay ordered Hier held without bail, citing an apparent escalating pattern of behavior and allegations of a violent crime with continued potential danger.
gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com
13