ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – A Vermont police captain is recovering and a shooting suspect is in custody after an incident on Friday that sent shockwaves through St. Johnsbury and led to a 31-hour manhunt.
Scott Mason, 38, was arrested early Sunday morning. Monday, he pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including attempted first-degree murder.
Police say on Friday, Mason shot St. Johnsbury Police Capt. Jason Gray when the officer responded to a domestic violence call.
The increased police presence and threat of danger over the weekend took a major toll on much of the community. Now, things are slowly getting back to normal in St. Johnsbury. And there was good news Monday from the town’s police chief on the status of Capt. Gray.
“Everybody’s just trying to stay positive, as much as they can. But there is some positive news with his healing so, we’re going to go down to Dartmouth to visit him. It seems like a positive outcome so far, for the case,” St. Johnsbury Police Chief Joel Pierce said.
Now that the manhunt is over, businesses are getting back on track.
“It is terrible that a police officer was shot. I am really grateful to hear that they are in stable condition. I hope the recovery continues,” said Maggie Gray, the co-owner of the Buttery on Railroad Street.
Gray says during the manhunt, her doors were open but the police activity slowed down one of St. Johnsbury’s busiest weekends.
“You know, we rely on St. J Sparkles as a town, as a community, to really bolster the local economy for the holidays. While we were able to still do business, it was definitely a negative impact for most of the community,” Gray said.
The annual St. J Sparkles event that drives foot traffic was put on hold over the weekend. Organizers say stores were counting on the extra shoppers.
“I think the winter is a little bit slower and obviously the events of this past weekend really put a damper. It was a really difficult time. So there was not an official lockdown, so businesses were making those decisions about whether to remain open or whether to close,” said Gillian Sewake of Discover St. Johnsbury.
Discover St. Johnsbury is currently in the middle of rescheduling the Sparkles event. Officials are encouraging people to come downtown and shop locally this upcoming weekend.