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 uniformed trooper in Marshfield. He was then taken into custody.
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.
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, both 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 there is “no single defendant in Washington County” that presents a more complex challenging supervisory and case history than Breer.
On Tuesday evening, state police arrested Breer’s uncle on suspicion of helping the fugitive 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 say their investigation revealed that Rodgers allowed Breer to spend several nights at his home while on the run and attempted to provide money to his nephew.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Central Vermont man turns himself in after 5 days on the run.