Milton landlord: Tenant dispute charges reduced

Richard 'Buddy' Stuart (Lebanon Voice file photo)

MILTON - The Milton landlord and his dad arrested after a gun was discharged in downtown Milton during an altercation with a tenant late last summer have had their felony reckless conduct charges dropped to misdemeanors, according to landlord and woodworking shop owner Richard “Buddy” Stuart.

Stuart, of Union, told The Lebanon Voice on Monday that he received the paperwork on the charge reduction over the weekend and is heartened by the news.

“I’m very relieved that we’ve gotten this,” said Stuart who owns Stuart’s Woodworking in downtown Milton and rents two upstairs apartments above the business. “I finally feel now it’s going in the right direction.”

The Sept. 18 fracas began around 4 p.m. as Milton’s downtown was shattered by the sound of a single gunshot.
Milton Police Chief Richard Krauss characterized the incident as a “disturbance between landlord and tenant, the disturbance escalated and a round was discharged from a firearm.”
When the shot was fired it drew a heavy police response from surrounding towns and State Police. Downtown observers said at one point they saw several police officers running around with guns drawn.
At the time of the arrest, both Stuart Jr. and the tenant said their families had been threatened by the other.
Stuart has maintained that he fired his 9mm handgun in the air to prevent the tenant from attacking one of his workshop employees, while the tenant, who has since been evicted, claimed Stuart pointed the gun directly at him.

Richard Stuart Sr. was arrested after he drove his car close to some individuals as he wheeled into the parking lot of the former Ray’s Marina to check on the welfare of his son, who by that time was in handcuffs inside a police cruiser.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Both Stuarts still have a court date scheduled for February to answer to what are now Class A misdemeanors, which still carry possible jail terms of up to a year.

Stuart Jr. has two other misdemeanor charges in connection with a brief altercation he had with two men associated with the tenant the day of the incident.

Stuart said he’ll be grateful and happy when this is all behind him and that he’s greatly relieved that the felony charges were pulled back.

“I’m starting to believe in our system of justice again,” he said on Monday.