The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Eric Grenier, 39, of Brandon, appeared today in United States District Court in Burlington on a charge that he possessed firearms as a convicted felon. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle ordered that Grenier be held without bail pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to the criminal complaint, on August 13, 2021, state and federal law enforcement authorities executed a state-court search warrant at Grenier’s home in Brandon. During the search, agents seized two rifles and two pistols, as well as assorted ammunition, from Grenier’s locked bedroom. Grenier is prohibited by federal law from possessing any firearms because he has three felony convictions in Vermont for burglary and cultivating marijuana. According to court records, an officer with the Brandon police department obtained the warrant to look for and seize a handgun which Grenier allegedly displayed during an altercation with a neighbor in July.
The Acting United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the complaint is merely an accusation and that Grenier is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.
If convicted, Grenier faces up to ten years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.
The case was investigated by the Brandon Police Department and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Grenier is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender David McColgin. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, 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. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. https:/www.justice.gov/psn
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