Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 21, 2025, Ryan Buckley, 36, of Windsor, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Buckley previously pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm after previously having been convicted of a felony.
According to court records, police found Buckley passed out with a loaded handgun in his lap while parked in his pickup truck at the community baseball field in Cheshire, Vermont. When police woke him, Buckley grasped the handgun and put his truck into gear before police successfully disarmed Buckley without anyone getting hurt. Buckley admitted that he had just smoked methamphetamine which police recovered in his pickup truck. As part of his plea agreement, Buckley also admitted to possessing another 18 firearms, some of them stolen.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cheshire, Vermont Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Owyang. Buckley was represented by Michael Straub, Esq.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.