The owner of a Vermont firearms training center, who was arrested by a judge in December in a long-running legal battle with a city, was taken into custody after a struggle and is now charged with resisting arrest and aggravated assault, authorities said.
Daniel Banyai is expected to be arraigned on Thursday. His attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
Banyai was a passenger in a vehicle that a Pawlet police officer stopped Wednesday for speeding, Vermont State Police said. According to police, Banyai got into a physical altercation with the officer, who then used pepper spray to arrest him.
He was treated at a Rutland hospital for minor injuries, and the officer was evaluated by a rescue team. Banyai is being held in a Rutland jail for lack of $15,000 bond pending his arraignment, police said.
In December, a Vermont Environmental Court judge found Banyai in contempt of court for failing to completely remove all unauthorized structures on his property in a lengthy legal battle with the city. It was the second time last year that a judge arrested him.
The Rutland County sheriff and Vermont State Police were ordered to report to the judge on their efforts to arrest him and said in court filings that they visited the property several times and were told that he had entered the state had left.
Pawlet’s property, known as Slate Ridge, included buildings and two shooting ranges. After complaints from neighbors, the city tried for several years to get Banyai to remove the structures. Three years ago, the Environment Court ordered Banyai to end all firearms training at the center and remove unauthorized structures. His appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court was denied.
In February 2023, a judge issued a scathing order finding Banyai in contempt of court for deliberately ignoring a series of court orders issued since the case 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 response to Slate Ridge, a bill was passed in the legislature that would make it a crime to own or operate paramilitary training camps in the state. Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed it into law in May.