Judge again orders arrest of owner of former firearms training center in Vermont

BURLINTON, Vt. — A judge has issued another arrest warrant for the owner of a former firearms training center in Vermont, finding him in contempt of court for failing to bring his property into compliance after an inspection last week.

“Defendant did not do that. As such, incarceration is an appropriate enforcement measure in these circumstances,” Vermont Environmental Court Judge Thomas Durkin wrote Monday.

Pawlet's estate, known as Slate Ridge, included several buildings and two shooting ranges on land the size of 30 fields (12 hectares). After complaints from neighbors, the city tried unsuccessfully for years to get the building's owner, Daniel Banyai, to remove buildings he built without a permit.

In March 2021, the Environment Court ordered Banyai to end all firearms training at the center and remove unauthorized structures. The Vermont Supreme Court rejected Banyai's appeal in January 2022.

Last February, the Environment Court issued a scathing order holding Banyai in contempt of court for deliberately ignoring a series of court orders issued since the trial began. At the time, he faced jail time and fines that could exceed $100,000 if he was not in compliance by June 23.

In July, a judge ordered Banyai arrested until he proves parts of the 30-acre complex have been removed or demolished. The warrant expired after 60 days without an arrest.

Monday's ruling orders Banyai to turn himself in by December 22. The arrest warrant was addressed to the Rutland County sheriff and Vermont State Police, but can be executed by any Vermont law enforcement officer, the judge wrote.

Banyai's attorney did not return a call seeking comment.

In response to Slate Ridge, Senator Philip Baruth, a Democrat and progressive from Vermont, introduced a bill to the Legislature to ban paramilitary training centers in the state. The bill was passed and signed into law by Republican Gov. Phil Scott in May.