VSP: Man pointed gun, hit trooper, tried to flush drugs

June 9, 2022  |  By Eric Blaisdell | Times Argus staff writer 

BARRE — A Waterbury man is accused of pointing a gun at a woman and striking a Vermont State Police trooper after trying to flush drugs.

Aldrain Ashby, 36, pleaded not guilty on May 31 in Washington County criminal court in Barre to two felony counts of first-degree aggravated domestic assault with a weapon, felony counts of first-degree aggravated domestic assault and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, as well as misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, criminal threatening, reckless endangerment, cocaine possession and narcotic possession. If convicted, Ashby faces a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison. He was ordered held at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans on $50,000 bail. 

State police initially listed Ashby's home as the Bronx, New York, in the press release with his arrest information. Court documents later revised that to list him as a Waterbury resident. 

Trooper Jacob Fox, of the State Police, said in his affidavit on May 29 a man called police to report Ashby was pointing a gun at the caller's former girlfriend. Fox said Ashby was the current partner of the woman. The caller told police the incident took place in Waterbury. 

While police were on their way to the scene, Fox said the victim called police and reported she was at a family member's home nearby. The trooper said the victim reported Ashby had not pointed a gun at her that day, but he had in the past.

Fox said he and another trooper found Ashby on the porch of the victim's home. He said Ashby backed away when Fox approached him asking what was going on. The trooper said Ashby then sprinted into the home, slammed the door closed and tried to hold it closed. 

Fox said he and the other trooper were able to open the door. He said Ashby then fled into the bathroom and tried to hold that door shut.

Fox said he saw Ashby reach for the flushing mechanism in the back of the toilet. Troopers then grabbed Ashby and stumbled into the bathroom counter, according to court records. Fox said Ashby then hit the other trooper in the face with his elbow. He said Ashby was taken into custody. 

Fox said he then spoke with the victim who reported Ashby had told her he was going to kill her.

The trooper said the victim reported on May 26 Ashby had put a gun “to my temple.” She told police Ashby also had choked her on May 25. 

Fox said he asked the victim about Ashby reaching into the back of the toilet and she reported he may have been selling drugs. He said she gave police consent to look around the bathroom.

The trooper said he found a balled up plastic baggie in the toilet. Inside the baggie, Fox said there were pills and a white substance. The white substance field-tested positive for cocaine, according to court records, and weighed 5.5 grams. Fox said there were 70 pills in the baggie that initially appeared to be the opioid oxycodone, but might have been homemade pills containing fentanyl. The trooper said the pills were sent to the Vermont Forensic Lab for testing.

Fox said Ashby refused to talk to police, but when told about the drugs found at the scene, reported they were for his personal use, and he was not a drug dealer.

This story was originally published by the Times Argus.