Hardwick Man Sentenced to 21 Months for Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm

BURLINGTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont stated that on October 29, 2026, Hunter Patten, 27, of Hardwick, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to a term of 21 months' imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Patten pleaded guilty on November 3, 2025 to possessing a firearm as a drug user and a person addicted to controlled substances.

According to court records, Patten obtained a firearm in exchange for cocaine base on October 15, 2023, after Patten heard Theodore Bland commit a double homicide for drugs in Lowell, Vermont. After pleading guilty, Patten was released from custody on January 27, 2026, to await sentencing while in the community. Patten was released subject to certain court-ordered conditions, including not possessing firearms or drugs or violating state or federal law. On August 18, 2026, Hardwick Police responded to Patten's residence and found Patten - then just days away from being sentenced - with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg, a short-barreled shotgun hidden in a nearby clothes dryer, and thousands of dollars' worth of cocaine base and fentanyl in both his kitchen and bedroom. Patten was immediately detained for violating his release conditions.

First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the FBI and Hardwick Police Department in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dana E. Hill and Jason Turner. Patten was represented by Karen Shingler, Esq.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.