Daniel Banyai, the owner of a former military-style training center in West Pawlet known as Slate Ridge, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after an alleged scuffle with a local town constable during a traffic stop.

Banyai pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in Rutland on Thursday to aggravated assault, a felony that carries a penalty of up to a $5,000 and five years in prison. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Banyai, 50, has received national media attention for a yearslong saga. Neighbors and town officials have accused him of threats, harassment and zoning violations.



A judge issued a warrant for Banyai's arrest last fall after he refused to remove several unpermitted structures from his property. He was ordered to turn himself in by December 22 but didn't. He has spent the last several months on the lam and was thought at one point to have left the state.

On Wednesday, Banyai was riding in the passenger seat of a pickup truck along Route 30 when a West Pawlet constable, Thomas Covino, pulled it over for speeding. The truck was driven by David Brodsky, the owner of a farm near Slate Ridge who, according to the New Yorker, has been funding Banyai’s legal expenses. 
Constable Covino declined to comment to Seven Days on Wednesday. But an affidavit filed in court by state police details what Covino said happened during the encounter:

Once Covino stopped the vehicle, he recognized Banyai from social media. He also knew him from a tense encounter the two men had at a local selectboard meeting last year, during which Banyai had hurled insults and accusations of corruption at local officials.

The constable told Banyai about the arrest warrant and asked him to get out of the truck. Banyai refused, calling Covino a "dirty cop," so the constable radioed state police dispatch to request backup. He was told the closest trooper was at least a half hour away.

After “repeated attempts” to get Banyai to step out of the truck failed, Covino announced that he planned to pepper spray Banyai. During a brief scuffle that ensued, Banyai struck him twice in the head. The two men ended up on the ground, where Covino managed to handcuff Banyai.



State police took Banyai to a hospital, then to the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, where he was held overnight. On Thursday, a judge ordered that he be held on $15,000 bail. He's expected to remain in custody until Slate Ridge is brought into compliance with the environmental court orders.