Newport Man Jailed for 16 Months on Weapons Conviction

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Derick Niles, age 37, was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to 16 months in prison, followed by three years of Supervised Release, on his conviction for being a drug user in possession of a firearm.

Niles’s federal conviction arose from his September 25, 2013, confrontation with various law enforcement agencies from the roof of his Newport, Vermont, garage, armed with a rifle. Niles also had ordered his teenage son into the woods with another loaded rifle to maintain a second firing position. The stand-off lasted about five hours. Niles pleaded guilty to the federal firearms charge, and admitted being a drug user, early this year.

At the August 11, 2015, sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Christina Reiss, the Court rejected Mr. Niles’ argument that his actions could be partially excused by his drug use at the time of the confrontation, adding that the volatile situation could have led to someone being shot. Niles has multiple prior misdemeanor convictions for various crimes during 1995-2014.

Niles has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service since June of 2015. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Newport Police Department. Niles was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Steven Barth. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Darrow.