Man charged in Vermont for assaulting journalist at home

Independent journalist Hank Poitras said he was assaulted at his home in Brattleboro, Vermont, on June 20, 2026, by a man whose arrest he had filmed weeks earlier.

Poitras runs the social media platforms and websites Planet Hank and Brattleboro News, where he documents local crime and public safety issues, including by filming police activities. Poitras is also a local Republican Party leader.

On May 6, Poitras filmed police in the nearby town of Keene, New Hampshire, arresting Julian Lemert, a 20-year-old college student, for allegedly assaulting a woman, and later posted a video about the incident and the charges Lemert faced.

In the video, Lemert can be seen asking Poitras why he is filming and asking police who he is. Poitras told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker he was filming the arrest with a mobile professional camera and was clearly there to document.

Poitras said he didn’t hear anything from Lemert after he posted the May video of his arrest.

Then, early in the morning on June 20, Poitras said he was alerted to the presence of someone at his house by his dog barking. He saw Lemert outside his window, and said he heard him calling his name and yelling, “Fuck you, Planet Hank!”

“It was definitely because of the video. I have no tie to him, and it’s not like he was calling me my personal name or anything,” he said. “He was coming after me because of Planet Hank.”

Poitras called the police as soon as he recognized Lemert.

When he went to his door and Lemert saw him from outside, the college student ran toward the door and threw a rock, Poitras said. The journalist started filming the encounter.

“And he just came right up and used his hand and smashed right through the glass and basically kicked open the door,” Poitras added.

Poitras said he grabbed Lemert and wrestled him to the ground. As he was holding him, Lemert allegedly tried to stab him in the leg.

The journalist said he then went back into his house, but dropped his phone, which he said Lemert grabbed and ran away with. Soon after, Lemert was taken into custody by Brattleboro police.

Poitras said Lemert threw his phone in a river; it was later retrieved by the fire department, providing police with video of the assault.

Lemert pleaded not guilty on June 23 to felony charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and burglary, and other charges related to theft and property damage, according to news reports that cited court records.