A Burlington police officer pleaded not guilty on Friday to two charges of reckless endangerment stemming from an August incident where he shot at a car with two juveniles inside.
Jeffrey Baur, 34, was released on his own recognizance with the condition that he not contact the two youth who were in the car during the shooting. The misdemeanor charges carry up to one year in prison.
Baur’s attorneys told reporters they plan to challenge some aspects of the case, but they declined to provide details.
“We do intend to file some preliminary motions and pretrial motions that would lodge challenges as it relates to whether or not the state will be able to sustain this,” said William Vasiliou, an attorney at Langrock, Sperry and Wool, who represents Baur.
Prosecutors with the attorney general’s office, which filed the case, declined to comment after Baur’s arraignment.
The incident occurred on after midnight on Aug. 10, 2025, after Burlington police got a call that a man had shoved a woman into white hatchback car on North Prospect Street, according to an affidavit written by Vermont State Police Detective Sergeant Steven Gelder.
Baur responded to the area and saw a silver Nissan, which he told police dispatchers was “taking off and driving on the sidewalk,” the affidavit said. Baur put on his blue lights, got out of his cruiser, and drew his firearm, according to body camera footage described in the affidavit.
Baur raised his gun and then appeared to fire a single shot that hit that car between the driver’s side door and the rear door, the affidavit said. The two juveniles, one male and one female, inside then exited the car with their hands up, according to the affidavit. No one was injured in the shooting.
The two youth in the car told police that they’d been arguing and the young woman had exited the car twice and the young man had brought her back inside, the affidavit said.
When they saw the police lights, the young man tried to turn the car and hit a pole. He told detectives he was scared when the police arrived and tried to drive away on the sidewalk and got stuck. He said he didn’t hear commands to get out of the car before the shooting, but did hear commands after the shooting, the affidavit said.
Baur, in an interview with investigators described in the affidavit, said he thought the car was turning around and might hit his cruiser. He said he thought the driver was trying to get away with the woman in the car and he was afraid she was in danger. Baur said he saw the driver moving around a lot and was worried he might be armed, the affidavit said.
Bauer told detectives he unholstered his gun with the intent to point it at the driver and give him “hard commands.” While Baur was drawing his weapon and raising it, he told investigators it went off, though Baur said he didn’t recall pulling the trigger. He later told investigators, after reviewing his body camera footage, that while closing his cruiser door, the door hit him, which caused the gun to go off.
No weapons were found in the car, the affidavit said.
More than a dozen Burlington police officers, many wearing suits and ties, attended Baur’s arraignment on Friday morning in Chittenden County criminal court.
After the hearing, Padric Hartnett, the president of the Burlington Police Officers Association, told reporters the union was “disheartened” by the charges against Baur.
“I think he has been doing his job and has been a fantastic officer for our agency over the years, and we’re fully supportive behind him,” Hartnett said.
Baur has been on desk duty since the shooting and is now on paid administrative leave, interim Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke said in an email.
This isn’t the first time Baur’s faced criminal charges. In 2024, he pleaded guilty to negligent driving after he was caught riding his motorcycle off-duty at speeds near 100 miles per hour and crossing into oncoming traffic as he passed cars, Seven Days reported. He was fined $300, plus $192 in court fees.
