Cody Ahonen Charged With Firearm Offense

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Cody Ahonen, 28, of Mt. Holly, was arrested by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on September 20, 2021.  Ahonen made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle in Burlington.  At the conclusion of the hearing, Ahonen was ordered detained pending trial.  

According to a federal criminal complaint filed on September 21, 2021, Ahonen was prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms due to a previous conviction for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, specifically, a 2012 domestic assault conviction in Vermont state court.  On September 15, 2021, Ahonen’s girlfriend, Brittany Bouthiette, died of a gunshot wound sustained in a parked vehicle in Killington, Vermont.  Ahonen informed law enforcement the wound was self-inflicted by Bouthiette.  The gun used in that incident belonged to Ahonen and Ahonen possessed the gun before Bouthiette’s death.  After Bouthiette was shot, Ahonen attempted to throw the gun into the woods.  Vermont State Police responded to the scene of the shooting.  In a roadside ditch, troopers located a Glock pistol.  Beneath the vehicle, troopers located a quantity of suspected cocaine base.  Inside the vehicle, troopers located an additional pistol, a rifle, a quantity of powder cocaine, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a digital scale with white residue, and approximately $10,000 in U.S. currency.

The charge in the criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of possessing a firearm having been previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), Ahonen faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory Federal Sentencing Guidelines.  

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the coordinated investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Vermont State Police.

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. https://www.justice.gov/psn

The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy L. Fuller. Cody Ahonen is represented by attorneys with the Federal Public Defender’s Office.