Rockingham man gets 54 months in federal prison | The Brattleboro Reformer

By Bob Audette, Brattleboro Reformer

BURLINGTON — A Rockingham man arrested in March 2018 on charges of selling fentanyl in Windham and Windsor counties was sentenced in federal court to four-and-a-half years in prison.

On March 22, 2018, Randy L. Holmes, then 27, was arrested with Ashley Cloutier, 26, also of Rockingham, by the Vermont State Police following an investigation that included the purchase of fentanyl by a cooperating witness. Troopers with the State Police served a search warrant on Holmes’ Rockingham home, finding a large quantity of fentanyl that was packaged for sale, a large-scale marijuana grow, and a quantity of prescription medication for which neither he nor Cloutier had a valid prescription.

The pair was charged in Windham Superior Court Criminal Division with sale of fentanyl, possession of fentanyl, possession of regulated drug, cultivation of marijuana.

In June 2018, Holmes was charged in federal court with knowingly possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime that crossed state lines, and two counts of distributing fentanyl. On Sept. 14, 2018, Holmes agreed to plead guilty to the first two counts. He has been in federal custody since June 9, 2018.

Chief Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, also approved a forfeiture of $34,002 because it was a result of his criminal activity.

Holmes’ period of incarceration is to be followed by three years of parole, according to court documents.

According to a federal indictment filed last year, Holmes was found to be in possession of several firearms, including a 12 gauge pistol grip shotgun, a 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a 12 gauge shotgun, a .308 caliber rifle, a .243 caliber bolt-action rifle, a 9mm pistol, a 20 gauge shotgun, a 16 gauge shotgun, and a 5.56 mm rifle.

Holmes, who has prior convictions from 2007 in Windham County of sexual assault on a child less than 16 and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child, was prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.

Cloutier has charges pending in Windham Superior Court, Criminal Division.

The Vermont Drug Task Force was assisted in its investigation by the Springfield Police Department and troopers from the Vermont State Police Westminster Barracks.

Bob Audette can be contacted at 802-254-2311, ext. 151, or raudette@reformer.com.