February 25, 2008

RUTLAND SHOOTER INDICTED FOR SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that a federal grand jury sitting in Burlington has returned a one-count indictment charging James W. Aitchison, 41, of Rutland with possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun in Rutland on December 5, 2007. Aitchison will be arraigned on the charge in United States District Court in Brattleboro on Monday, February 25, 2008, at 2:30 p.m.

If convicted, Aitchison faces a statutory maximum sentence of up to ten years in prison and a fine of $10,000. The actual sentence in the event of conviction would be determined by the court with reference to the advisory federal sentencing guidelines. United States Attorney Thomas D. Anderson stated that the indictment is an accusation only and that Aitchison is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

According to court documents, Aitchison was arrested by the Rutland City Police Department on December 6, 2007, for shooting multiple rounds into a van and striking an occupant of the van in the hip the previous evening in the City of Rutland. Shortly after the arrest, officers executed a search warrant at the residence in which Aitchison had been staying. During the search police seized several firearms from a box belonging to Aitchison, including a semiautomatic handgun used in the shooting and a stolen Ithaca shotgun, which had been modified. Aitchison is currently detained by the State of Vermont for lack of bail on charges of felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor drug possession filed by Rutland County State's Attorney James P. Mongeon.

U.S. Attorney Anderson noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhood, a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Project Safe Neighborhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who violate federal gun laws. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhood and Project Safe Vermont, please visit: www.psn.gov.

The federal charge was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Rutland City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Craig Nolan is prosecuting the case.