Updated at 6:30 p.m.
A central Vermont man who was on the run for five days after allegedly assaulting a neighbor, cutting off his ankle monitor and fleeing has turned himself in.
Vermont State Police announced Wednesday afternoon that Harley Breer, 51, surrendered peacefully to a trooper in Marshfield and was taken into custody.
At a press conference Wednesday evening, police said a trooper had spotted Breer in the woods alongside Route 232 in Marshfield outside Breer’s uncle’s house. According to police, Breer walked out of the woods with his arms up, approached the trooper and turned himself in. He is set to be arraigned Thursday morning.
“The community should be able to sleep soundly tonight with Mr. Breer in custody,” said Captain Matthew Daley, of the Vermont State Police. He said Breer was reportedly “pretty dehydrated” when he was taken into custody. Rescue crews evaluated him and gave him some water before he was taken to jail.
State police conducted an extensive search of the area, including the use of aircraft provided by the U.S. Border Patrol. However, Breer was ultimately found thanks to information the community provided, Daley said.
“People were calling in tips and things like that,” Daley said. “We were just trying to base our search on the best information we could get on those tips. We can’t thank the community enough for that sort of thing. A lot of people have firsthand knowledge of Mr. Breer and his tendencies, and we wouldn’t know any of that.”
Breer has a long criminal history, including convictions for kidnapping, domestic assault and other violent crimes. He has been in and out of prison for the past several decades on a variety of charges, most recently with an 18-month stint behind bars.
“His history speaks for itself. He’s definitely had a few run-ins with the law and was a dangerous person,” Daley said. “This is the best outcome for any of this that could have happened. We take him into custody peacefully. Communities can sleep well tonight, and Mr. Breer is back in jail.”
Before his escape, Breer was on house arrest as a result of a second-degree aggravated domestic assault charge.
State’s attorney Rory Thibault said home confinement with an ankle monitor became the best solution available to the state on that charge, because of inconsistencies in statements from alleged victims and the knowledge that the existing supervisory structure for Breer “just wasn’t getting the job done.”
Thibault said Tuesday “no single defendant in Washington County” presents a more complex and challenging case history than Breer.
On Tuesday evening, state police arrested Breer’s uncle on suspicion of helping his nephew evade capture.
The uncle, 62-year-old Earle Rodgers, faces charges of accessory after the fact and providing false information to law enforcement. State police allege Rodgers allowed Breer to spend several nights at his home while on the run and attempted to provide money to his nephew.
Daley said there “very well could be” more arrests of others who assisted Breer, though he said he is not aware of any other charges yet.
