Richard Whitcomb, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Vermont 2019

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vermont - In a shocking turn of events, 40-year-old Richard Whitcomb has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm in the United States District Court in Rutland.

Chief Judge Geoffrey Crawford also ordered that Whitcomb serve three years of supervised release when he completes his prison term. Whitcomb has been incarcerated since his guilty plea to the charge in September 2019.

According to court documents, on January 11, 2018, 19-year-old Austin Colson disappeared from the Royalton area of Vermont. In May 2018, investigators found Colson’s body inside a barn on Beaver Meadow Road in Norwich where Richard Whitcomb had been a caretaker. Colson’s death has been ruled a homicide caused by gunshot.

Whitcomb was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). Whitcomb pleaded guilty to the felon in possession charge in exchange for his agreement to serve 37 months in prison. The government dismissed the 924(c) count.

The investigation into the homicide of Austin Colson is still ongoing.

This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police and is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

Whitcomb is represented by Brad Stetler, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy L. Fuller.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/richard-whitcomb-imprisoned-firearm-offense