Windsor County Man Detained Pending Trial On Federal Firearms Violation

Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 7:20 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BURLINGTON, VT.- On Monday, January 27, 2025, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher reported that a 30-year-old Windsor County, Vermont man will remain in federal custody pending trial after being indicted for a federal firearms violation.

     On Thursday, January 16, 2025, a Federal Grand Jury sitting in the District of Vermont returned an indictment charging Kyle Pickett, 30, of Windsor, Vermont, with two counts of being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

     On Thursday, January 23, 205, Pickett was taken into custody and appeared for an arraignment in federal court in Burlington, Vermont, and entered a plea of not guilty on the charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jerome J. Niedermeir. Following entering his not-guilty plea, Judge Neidermeir ordered Pickett detained pending trial.

According To The Charges Unsealed In The Indictment

     According to the charging information unsealed in the indictment, it is alleged that on November 25, 2023, while in the District of Vermont, knowingly possessed two loaded firearms, a Winchester .22-caliber rifle and a Winchester 410-gauge shotgun, in a Ford Ranger pickup truck, which had been reported stolen from a residence in Orange County, Vermont.

     Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from owning or possessing firearms and ammunition. Pickett knew on November 25, 2023, that he was prohibited from possessing the two firearms due to his prior felony convictions.

     If convicted at trial, Pickett faces up to 15 years in federal prison, a term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine on each count. Following a conviction, at sentencing, a U.S. District Court Judge will determine the term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offenses and Pickett’s prior criminal history.