Arraignment for bounty hunter accused of excessive force continued to November

A bounty hunter accused of shooting an individual who was subject to a failure to appear warrant will be waiting until November for his day in court.

The arraignment of Jonathan Muckinhaupt was originally scheduled for Oct. 5, but a continuation was granted on Wednesday. The new date is Nov. 13.

Muckinhaupt is accused of using excessive force on Sept. 12 when he tried to apprehend Jordan Lanphear after failing to appear in court, The Bulletin reported.

Family and friends of Lanphear, including his sister Kayla Lanphear, were disappointed that proceedings didn’t start, and they would return for the new arraignment date, they said.

More: Why people are seeking 'Justice for Jay' after encounter with bounty hunter in Norwich, CT

The charges again Muckinhaupt

Muckinhaupt’s charges include first degree assault, first degree reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of a firearm, second degree breach of peace, second degree criminal mischief, and risk of injury to a minor, according to a release from the Norwich Police.

He posted the $25,000 bail shortly after his arrest, the release stated.

What the police reports say

In the affidavit obtained from Norwich Superior Court, Norwich officers arrived at Lake Street on Sept. 12 at 7:13 p.m., called by a group of bail enforcement officers. Their supervisor, Douglas White, told police they were trying to apprehend Lanphear on outstanding warrants.

At 7 p.m., the bounty hunters, split between two vehicles, a Toyota Sienna and a GMC Sierra, found the black Toyota driven by Lanphear. Mukinhaupt was driving the Sienna. Then the Sierra pulled up behind Lanphear’s car, and the Sienna blocked the front. Lanphear tried to drive around the Sienna, and nearly hit an agent. This is when Muckinhaupt fired a bean bag shotgun round at Lanphear. Lanphear’s car struck the Sienna before speeding off. White had announced the men were bail enforcement when he left his vehicle, White told Norwich Police in the affidavit.

While bean bag shot is considered less lethal, it can still kill, and can only be fired in a situation where deadly force is justified, the affidavit states.

Muckinhaupt willingly came to Norwich Police headquarters to talk with officers. Mukinhaupt video records his work using his iPhone, and consented to Norwich Police taking a copy of the video, the affidavit states.

In a sworn statement Muckinhaupt provided Norwich Police, when the bail enforcement agents approached Lanphear’s vehicle, Muckinhaupt was armed and visibly wearing a badge stating “Bail Enforcement Agent #982.” He wore an exterior plate carrier vest, with a camera, stating his employer’s name, North Eastern Fugitive Recovery Agency LLC. The company is based in Meriden, CT, the statement in the affidavit states.

Lanphear’s car backed into the Sierra when agents approached. Muckinhaupt had told Lanphear to put his hands up. Lanphear had begun to raise his hands, but put them back to a driving position. After this, Muckinhaupt fired at and likely hit Lanphear. The car then sped off and hit the Sienna and possibly another bail enforcement agent. Assuming the agent was hit, Muckinhaupt fired at Lanphear’s car three more times. The agents then checked in on the agent who may have been hit, Muckinhaupt's statement in the affidavit states.

Muckinhaupt was concerned Lanphear would harm the agents. Lanphear was known to have firearms, and was involved in a 2021 shooting, the affidavit states.

Kathleen Tourangeau, the woman with Lanphear, provided a statement to Norwich Police on Sept. 12. When the men approached, she was unsure of what was happening. She heard shots, and Lanphear realized he was hit when driving away, the statement in the affidavit states.

Muckinhaupt’s footage was reviewed the next day. The footage did not appear to show Lanphear’s car striking the Sierra. Muckinhaupt told Lanphear to put his hands up, and Lanphear’s car came to a stop. Muckinhaupt approached Lanphear’s car, stuck his shotgun inside, and fired at Lanphear from a distance of less than a foot as Lanphear’s car began to move. Muckinhaupt fired three more times at the car, the affidavit states.

The second time Muckinhaupt has shot at someone in two months

“I shot him in the (expletive) face,” Muckinhuapt said in the video mentioned in the affidavit. “Second time in as many months I’ve shot someone in the (expletive) face and they’ve drove off on me.”

The Norwich Police interviewed “several irate adults” who saw the incident, as the group had three children with them. In the video, a voice told the agents “there’s (expletive) kids right here” after Muckinhaupt fired his shotgun, the affidavit states.

On Sept. 13, Lanphear was located and arrested without incident, then taken to Backus Hospital for an injury on his jaw, the affidavit states.

Lanphear then gave a statement to Norwich Police. Lanphear didn't know the men were bail enforcement, and assumed they were robbers. He heard a “pop’ noise on his right, and then turned left and saw the shotgun pointed at him. Lanphear drove away as quickly as he could, the statement in the affidavit states.

Reviewing Norwich Police bodycam footage from a responding officer, Muckinhaupt was seen wearing a black face masked that covered everything except his eyes and nose, the affidavit states.

Norwich Police received a report from Windsor Police on Sept. 14 about Muckinhaupt firing at a driver in August. Bail enforcement were pursuing the passenger. The driver similarly backed up, was shot at by Muckinhaupt with bean bag shot, and sped off. Windsor Police couldn’t locate a victim in their investigation and couldn’t obtain surveillance video, the affidavit said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Bounty hunter Muckinhaupt arraignment in shooting continued to Nov. 13