RUTLAND — Craig Wilkins, 38, of Rutland, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for possessing two handguns as a convicted felon, according to the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont.
Wilkins was detained without bail since his arraignment last year and will serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term.
According to court records, on October 31, 2021, Rutland police officers and emergency medical personnel responded to a grocery store parking lot after a citizen reported that two people appeared to be unconscious inside a vehicle.
When officers arrived, Craig Wilkins, who was in the driver’s seat, was asked to step out of the car for questioning, and when he did so, a round of ammunition fell to his feet.
Wilkins is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition because he has prior Vermont felony convictions for distributing narcotics.
Authorities impounded the automobile and obtained a state court warrant to search it. In a backpack that was on the front passenger seat and in the glove compartment, officers recovered two handguns, about 177 grams of cocaine base, and about 15 grams of fentanyl.
Wilkins pleaded guilty to the gun charge last September and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss.
