You’ve probably seen the name pop up in your local feed or heard it mentioned in a heated Burlington City Council meeting. Mike Reynolds Burlington VT isn't just a name anymore; for many residents, it’s a flashpoint for every frustration they have with the current state of public safety and mental health care in Vermont.
Honestly, the numbers sound like a typo. As of early 2026, Michael Reynolds has had nearly 2,000 documented encounters with the Burlington Police Department (BPD). We aren't just talking about a few rowdy nights or a handful of misunderstandings. We are talking about a decade-long cycle of arrests, releases, and a "catch-and-release" system that seems totally powerless to change the outcome for him or the community.
The Reality Behind the Mike Reynolds Burlington VT Stats
Most people look at a rap sheet and see a criminal. But when you dig into the specifics of Mike Reynolds Burlington VT, you see something much more complicated and, frankly, a bit tragic.
Reynolds, now 47, has become the "high score" holder in the Valcour records management system used by Vermont police. Since 2012, he’s managed to rack up:
- Over 1,850 police engagements.
- More than 200 criminal charges.
- Approximately 50 convictions.
- Countless trespass notices from nearly every service provider in the city.
The incidents aren't just "quality of life" issues like public intoxication or urination, though he has plenty of those. In recent years, the behavior has escalated. We’ve seen reports of him punching restaurant owners, threatening food shelf staff with glass shards, and even assaulting police officers and firefighters with bodily fluids.
It’s a mess.
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The Incompetency Ruling: A Legal Dead End?
In March 2025, a Vermont court dropped a bombshell that basically confirmed what many had suspected: Mike Reynolds was found incompetent to stand trial.
This wasn't a sudden excuse. For years, those who worked with him at the Feeding Chittenden food shelf or encountered him on North Winooski Avenue noted that his behavior was becoming increasingly erratic. He’d be found wandering around, singing, yelling, and asking what planet he was on.
When a judge rules someone incompetent, the criminal justice machine essentially grinds to a halt. You can't convict someone who doesn't understand the charges against them. But in Vermont, if the crime is a misdemeanor, the state doesn't have a lot of options for "forced" treatment.
So, what happens? He goes back to the street. He gets arrested again. The cycle resets.
Why Everyone Is Arguing Over Him
If you want to understand the political rift in Burlington right now, look at how the city's leadership handled the Reynolds case.
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Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad has been incredibly vocal about it. He famously issued press releases calling for the "habitual offender" statute to be used, essentially arguing that the city shouldn't have to keep picking up the same person 1,800 times. He wanted Reynolds held.
On the other side, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and State’s Attorney Sarah George have taken a different tack. In early 2025, the Mayor actually issued an executive order requiring police press releases to be reviewed by her office. Why? Because the defense argued that Murad’s public comments were "tainting the jury pool" and making it impossible for Reynolds to get a fair trial.
It’s a classic Burlington standoff:
- The Police: Say their hands are tied by a system that won't let them keep people in jail.
- The Prosecutors: Say the law doesn't allow for long-term incarceration for non-violent or mental health-driven misdemeanors.
- The Public: Is just tired of feeling unsafe at the grocery store or the hospital.
The Brattleboro Retreat and the Search for a Solution
Last we heard, Reynolds' legal team was trying to get him into the Brattleboro Retreat. That’s basically the "last resort" for psychiatric care in the state.
But here is the catch: the Retreat is almost always full. There is a massive backlog of people waiting for beds, and even when someone like Mike Reynolds Burlington VT gets in, it’s often a short-term stabilization rather than a long-term cure.
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He’s been banned from COTS (Committee on Temporary Shelter) due to violence. He’s been trespassed from the UVM Medical Center. He’s essentially a man without a country, moving between the sidewalk, the holding cell, and the emergency room.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often assume he's just a "bad guy" who wants to cause trouble. But talk to the people who have actually worked with him for years—the ones at the food shelves or the local outreach workers. They’ll tell you he’s someone who has completely fallen through the cracks of a broken mental health system.
He’s "self-medicating," likely struggling with severe bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, and he doesn't have the internal tools to follow court orders. Telling a man in a psychotic break that he has a "notice of trespass" is like telling a hurricane to stay away from the coast. It just doesn't work.
What Happens Next?
If you live in Burlington, the Mike Reynolds case is a signal that the "status quo" is failing.
Next steps for the community and the system:
- Legislative Change: There is a growing push for "Act 250 for mental health"—reforming how the state handles people found incompetent for trial so they don't just end up back on the street.
- Increased Bed Capacity: Without more long-term psychiatric beds at places like the Brattleboro Retreat or the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital, nothing changes.
- Community Safety: Residents are being told to keep doors locked and report incidents, but there is a growing sense of "report fatigue."
The story of Mike Reynolds Burlington VT isn't over. It’s a tragedy for him, and it’s a source of constant stress for the city. Until the state figures out where to put people who are too sick for jail but too dangerous for the sidewalk, we’re going to keep seeing these headlines.
To stay updated on local public safety developments, you can follow the Burlington Police Department's daily incident logs or attend the upcoming City Council meetings where police staffing and mental health crisis response are regularly debated.