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Press Release

Orwell Man Charged With Armed Robbery Of Fair Haven Maplefields Store In September 2015

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Vermont

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Matthew Hinton, 26, of Orwell, has been charged with an armed robbery of the Maplefields convenience store in Fair Haven, which occurred in the early morning hours of September 30, 2015.

The federal grand jury, sitting in Rutland, returned a four-count superseding indictment against Hinton. Hinton was previously charged with felon-in-possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm, each of which carry a maximum prison sentence of ten years. Hinton pled not guilty to those charges. He is currently being detained by the Vermont Department of Corrections on separate unrelated state charges.

The two new federal charges are a Hobbs Act federal robbery charge, which carries a maximum sentence of twenty years. The second new charge is that of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory minimum consecutive sentence of seven years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He is scheduled to be arraigned on these new charges on November 21, 2016 before Magistrate-Judge John Conroy in Burlington, Vermont.

The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Fair Haven Police Department, and the Vermont State Police. The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Perella and Mr. Hinton is represented by David McColgin of the Federal Public Defenders Office.

Updated November 14, 2016

Topics
Firearms Offenses
Violent Crime