July 15, 2009

MILTON MAN SENTENCED FOR GUN CRIME

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Richard Wimble, 25, of Milton, Vermont, was sentenced on July 13, 2009 to 30 months in prison after his guilty plea to charges that he possessed a 9mm handgun while being an unlawful user of controlled substances. Chief United States District Judge William K. Sessions III, sitting in Burlington, also sentenced Wimble to two years of supervised release.

According to court documents in the case, in December of 2007, Wimble, who was using illegal opiates at the time, traded the handgun to Kenneth Jackson in Burlington for oxycodone pills. The handgun was later found in Jackson’s residence by officers from the Burlington Police Department who were investigating Jackson’s cocaine dealing. After the handgun was recovered, Jackson pled guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On March 2, 2009, Jackson appeared before Judge Sessions and was sentenced to 180 months in prison for his crime.

Under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are now advisory, Wimble faced a 33 to 41 month prison sentence for his crime. Judge Sessions granted Wimble a lesser sentence to account for the approximately three months that Wimble spent in pretrial state custody for charges unrelated to his federal offense.

The Acting United States Attorney commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Burlington Police Department for their hard work on this matter. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Timothy C. Doherty, Jr. The defendant is represented by Attorney Ernest M. Allen III, from the law firm Stetler, Allen, & Kampmann.