N.H. man arraigned on gun charges after Chester arrest

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont has announced that Ryan Buckley, 35, originally from New Hampshire, was arraigned in the District of Vermont on Jan. 16 after a federal grand jury in Rutland returned a one-count indictment charging him with possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. He had been arrested in Chester.

Buckley had been ordered detained in state court as a result of state charges.

According to court records, on June 27, 2023, police came upon Buckley passed out in his pickup
truck at the community baseball field in Chester. Police knocked on his window and Buckley woke up, then picked up a firearm that was sitting in his lap. He then placed the firearm back in his lap and put his truck into gear.

Police convinced Buckley to open his window and disarmed him without further incident. Buckley admitted to the police that he had smoked methamphetamine recently and, having a prior felony conviction, to knowing that he could not possess firearms. Buckley consented to having his truck searched and police found a small bag of suspected methamphetamine that field-tested positive. Because Buckley felt his heart racing, he requested medical transport to the hospital and police issued him a citation, but he failed to appear for his court date.

Police arrested Buckley on July 29, 2023 in Lebanon, N.H. Buckley told police that he had recently stolen a firearm from Cavendish and given it to someone in Mount Holly. Buckley also said he helped another person move numerous firearms into a storage unit that Buckley rented in Killington.

Buckley said he had met this person while selling them fentanyl during the previous six months. Police  executed a search warrant for the Killington storage unit and recovered, among other items, 19 firearms and 3,240 rounds of ammunition. Buckley’s criminal history includes prior felony convictions for grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle resulting in serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, unlawful trespass of an occupied residence and possession of heroin.

If convicted, Buckley could face a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.