MIDDLEBURY — Police from at least three law enforcement agencies fanned out Sunday afternoon looking for a man who attacked two people in Middlebury, at least one of whom was an employee of a mental health agency. A few hours later they found their suspect and said they would charge him with two counts of attempted murder.
On Sunday evening police said they had found 52-year-old Ronald Bean at the edge of the woods on Chipman Hill at around 7:50 p.m. and took him into custody without incident.
Middlebury police alerted the public earlier in the evening that they were looking for Bean, who they said assaulted two people with an “edged weapon” shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday.
One employee of a mental health agency received stab wounds in the head and leg; another person received multiple stab wounds in the upper torso. Both were initially treated at Porter Hospital in Middlebury, but one was transferred to UVM Medical Center in Burlington for treatment.
Police did not release the names of the stabbing victims or their conditions.
Middlebury police, Vermont State Police and game wardens from Vermont Fish and Wildlife and Wildlife Department initially searched a heavily wooded area in Middlebury.
But they also alerted the public that Bean may be hitchhiking on Route 7 in the Middlebury area and could be headed to Rutland or Burlington. They said he was dangerous and could have a weapon, and asked people not to approach him, but to call 911 if they saw him.
Police described Bean as 5-foot, 8-inches tall, about 300 pounds, with dark hair, a crew cut and possibly glasses. He was reported wearing a black shirt and black shorts. When the be-on-the-lookout alert was released, authorities said he had been seen with blood on his hands and clothing.
This is not the first time Middlebury police have come into contact with Bean. On July 30, 2014, at 3:42 p.m., police arrested Ronald M. Bean, then 50, for domestic assault on North Pleasant Street. They jailed Bean for lack of bail.