NEWPORT — A 35-year-old West Glover woman has received a suspended sentence of three to five years after pleading guilty to shooting at a man’s truck as he left her property.
Judge Rory Thibault accepted a plea agreement for Alaina Bouchard that dismissed an original charge of second-degree attempted murder along with misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment and criminal threatening.
The incident began as an online connection that led to an in-person meeting, according to court documents. The man told investigators he arrived at Bouchard’s residence around 9:30 p.m. on September 6, 2024, where they talked and had drinks before moving to her porch.
Vermont State Police Trooper Mark Pohlman documented extensive damage to the victim’s vehicle, including a bullet lodged in the center of the windshield, holes in both front and rear driver’s side seats, and two bullet holes in the dashboard.
According to police affidavits, the conversation deteriorated when discussing local attitudes toward outsiders and race. The pair offered conflicting accounts of what sparked the confrontation, with the man claiming Bouchard misinterpreted his comments and became threatening.
Bouchard told officers the visitor had used racial slurs toward her children and wouldn’t stop, prompting her to order him to leave. After he departed, investigators noted dark burnout tire marks in the driveway.
“I was standing my ground,” Bouchard told police, acknowledging she fired four rounds at the departing truck. She added that she was not attempting to hurt him, but wanted him off her property.
Troopers recovered four shell casings at the scene and a black .45 caliber ACP XD5 pistol from Bouchard’s dresser.
