A Burlington man has been sentenced to 25 months in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony.
Before he was sentenced this week, Mark Caron, 53, had six previous felony convictions, three of which were violations of abuse prevention orders from state court.
The federal charge stems from a September 2015 incident. Caron was accused of stealing a handgun from his son in Burlington and going to the Swanton home of a friend of his ex-girlfriend. Caron threatened to shoot the friend while brandishing the gun at him, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Eric Miller’s office.
Caron also told his ex-girlfriend that he would “bash her head in,” according to the release.
He had pleaded guilty in Franklin Superior Court to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 58 days in prison on that state charge, according to the release.
In a statement, Miller said his office is dedicated to pursuing federal charges when felons with histories of domestic violence illegally possess guns.
“Domestic abuse and the illegal possession of firearms are a potentially deadly combination,” Miller said.
Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell applauded the coordination by federal and state law enforcement in a statement. He also emphasized the importance of enforcing orders of protection and prohibitions on felons having firearms, “given the documented risk of lethality this poses for domestic violence victims.”
