Brattleboro man faces stalking and threatening charges after Walgreens incident

The case began Sept. 30, when police were notified about threatening behavior involving a Walgreens employee.

Police say a Brattleboro man is being prosecuted after an encounter outside the Canal Street Walgreens that led to allegations he stalked an employee and later made violent threats.

Michael Bennett, 55, was charged with stalking and criminal threatening following an investigation by the Brattleboro Police Department. He was arraigned earlier this week in Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division.

The case began Sept. 30, when police were notified about threatening behavior involving a Walgreens employee. According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Brattleboro police officer Ahmed Elfawal, Bennett had gone into the store and made comments about an employee he was interested in to another worker. Police said he later waited outside the store for that employee and followed them to their vehicle.

The employee gave a sworn statement to police on Oct. 7 and described a pattern of unwanted interactions that left her uneasy. A witness also told police that Bennett became verbally aggressive during the Sept. 30 exchange and had talked about wanting to kill the employee.

After reviewing the statements and Bennett’s own comments, police said they found enough evidence to arrest him on stalking and criminal threatening charges. Bennett was taken into custody at his home without incident and brought to the Brattleboro Police Department. Windham County Deputy State’s Attorney George Anthes filed the charges Oct. 19.

Bennett has previously faced serious criminal allegations. In 2018, he pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree murder and first-degree aggravated domestic assault in connection with an attack on a friend at the Putney Inn.

At that time, Vermont State Police said Bennett stood on the woman’s neck and later tried to smother her with a pillow. Investigators said he told her she would not survive the night.

Police reported that the woman managed to get away after about two hours of being beaten, then reached the inn lobby and called 911. She told investigators Bennett had assaulted her about two weeks earlier but that she had not reported that incident. Officers said she had visible injuries to her face, neck and body, and that two bloody washcloths were found in the room’s trash.