Matthew Hinton, 28, of Orwell, Vermont, is heading to federal prison for 84 months after pleading guilty to the armed robbery of the Fair Haven Maplefields convenience store on September 30, 2015. At 2:30 A.M., Hinton walked in wielding a stolen Ruger .357 caliber revolver, pointed it at the lone clerk, and demanded cash. He walked out with $80 and two cartons of cigarettes—leaving behind a traumatized employee who still suffers from PTSD.
The gun used in the heist wasn’t his. Two days earlier, on September 28, Hinton burglarized a home on Daigneault Hill Road in Orwell and stole the revolver along with other property. He admitted to the burglary and possession of the stolen firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss handed down the 84-month sentence, plus three years of supervised release, and ordered $2,150 in restitution to the burglary victims and $200 to Maplefields.
Hinton didn’t stop at one crime spree. On the same day as the burglary, he committed three additional break-ins in Orwell and Shoreham, all charged by the Addison County State’s Attorney. He’s already pleaded guilty to those and was sentenced to 4-10 years in state prison. He also faces a pending state charge in Rutland County for escape from custody during a furlough—another black mark on a rapidly deteriorating record.
Crucially, Hinton won’t get time served credit on his federal sentence for the period he’s already spent behind bars since his arrest on September 30, 2015. His federal clock only started ticking on February 6, 2018—the day of his federal sentencing. From that point forward, his state and federal sentences will run concurrently, but the delay seals years more of incarceration.
U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan emphasized that Hinton’s prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the DOJ’s national initiative to dismantle gun crime through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement. Led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the program targets repeat offenders and illegal firearm possession with maximum penalties.
The investigation was a joint operation by the ATF, Fair Haven Police Department, and Vermont State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella prosecuted the case. Hinton was represented by David McColgin of the Federal Public Defender’s Office. For more on Project Safe Neighborhoods and Project Safe Vermont, visit www.projectsafeneighborhoods.gov.
Related Federal Cases
- Orwell Man Charged in 2015 Maplefields Armed Robbery · Vermont
- Matthew Martin Pleads Guilty to 8 Violent Robberies Across Two States · New Hampshire
- Vermont Man Gets 15 Years for 8 Armed Robberies · New Hampshire
- Quebec Man Gets 2 Years for Sickening Child Porn · Vermont
- Timothy Miller Pleads Guilty to International Kidnapping Plot · New York
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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