A Newport Center man has been accused of swinging a baseball bat at a woman and her child

A Newport Center man has been accused of swinging a baseball bat at a woman and her child. Jake H. Buck, 34, pleaded not guilty in Orleans Superior Court on Tuesday to two counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and escape from furlough. Buck also pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and two counts of criminal threatening. Judge Lisa Warren set conditions of release and $25,000 bail. On Nov. 27 at 10:34 p.m., the Vermont State Police said they received a report in Newport Center of an attempted assault alleging that Buck had threatened a 24 year old woman and her 13-year-old son with a baseball bat. The woman and her sister-in-law told police that she and the juvenile were looking for their missing cat in their neighborhood when the alleged incident occurred. They both stated they were knocking on Bucks’ door at the apartment above theirs, and Jake came across the street with a metal baseball bat. They both stated Jake swung it at them twice, and hitting a porch on the first attempt and almost hitting the backs of their heads on the second swing. Buck has been charged by the Orleans County State’s Attorney’s Office as a habitual offender which means he faces a possible sentence of up to life in prison if convicted.