Brattleboro Husband and Wife Charged with Firearm Violations

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Joshua Stratton, 33, and his wife Sherrie Stratton, 31, both of Brattleboro, Vermont have been indicted by the federal grand jury for violations of federal firearms laws.  Joshua Stratton was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms.  Sherrie Stratton was charged with transferring firearms to her husband Joshua, knowing he was a convicted felon.  Joshua Stratton was arraigned today on the indictment and ordered detained pending trial.  Sherrie Stratton’s arraignment is scheduled for June 28, 2022.

According to court records, between November 11, 2021 and March 21, 2022, Sherrie Stratton transferred or otherwise disposed of three firearms to her husband: a Smith & Wesson M&P-15 .223 Rem AR-style rifle; a Komando (Turkey) DKSN XX3D 12-gauge shotgun, and a Savage Arms A17 .17 HMR rifle.  Sherrie Stratton is alleged to have transferred the firearms to her husband despite knowing that her husband was a convicted felon.  On March 21, 2022, a federal probation officer visited the Stratton home, observed the firearms, and seized them from the residence, as well as a Ruger 10/22 .22LR rifle.  

At the time of the conduct, Joshua Stratton was serving a term of federal supervised release following his conviction in 2020 for being a felon in possession of firearms.  According to court records from the previous federal prosecution, on June 30, 2019, Vermont State Police responded to reports of repeated gunfire near Putney, encountering Joshua and Sherrie Stratton and their small child at a makeshift firing range.  The responding trooper observed 9 firearms (including handguns, shotguns, and an AR-style rifle) on the ground just behind the vehicle belonging to the Strattons.  The trooper also observed boxes of ammunition and dozens of empty cartridge casings.  Sherrie Stratton was interviewed at the scene, claimed ownership of the firearms, but made statements to the trooper consistent with Joshua Stratton possessing and shooting the firearms. 

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that both Joshua and Sherrie Stratton are presumed innocent until and unless convicted of a crime.  Both Joshua and Sherrie Stratton face a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment.  The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory federal sentencing guidelines.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  

The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ophardt.  Joshua Stratton is represented by Natasha Sen, Esq. Sherrie Stratton is represented by William Kraham, Esq.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.  Please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn for more information.