City shooting defendant pleads guilty
Toolbox
By Gordon Dritschilo STAFF WRITER - Published: June 24, 2009
A Rutland man has reached a plea deal on federal weapons charges stemming from a nonfatal shooting on School Street.
James W. Aitchison, 43, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to a single count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
The crime carries a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life. Federal prosecutors agreed not to argue for more than 15 years, but the sentencing will be up to a federal judge and Aitchison will not be able to withdraw his plea if the judge opts for a longer sentence.
Police said Aitchison arrived at a School Street apartment building in December 2007 looking to collect a $55 debt from Nick Jones. He argued with a woman on the porch before jumping down, drawing a 9 mm Ruger semiautomatic pistol and firing six rounds at a van in the driveway, police said.
Aitchison told police he did not realize 17-year-old Kasey Ritchie, Jones's sister, was in the van. Hit by one round, Ritchie was briefly hospitalized and did not require surgery, relatives said, but had a bullet lodged in her hip.
A search of the room where Aitchison was staying found not just the Ruger, but also a shotgun, two rifles, a .36 caliber black powder pistol, various firearm parts, three knives and a set of nunchaku. Police said they also found a drug collection including crack, heroin, marijuana and several prescription drugs.
The Rutland County State's Attorney's office dropped state charges against Aitchison when a federal grand jury handed up an indictment against him early last year.
Aitchison also agreed to pay restitution to Ritchie and Jones as directed by the probation office.
gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com
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