Charge of impersonating an officer dropped against NH man, who gets probation on gun charges
Published: 06-06-2025 4:52 PM
Modified: 06-09-2025 8:53 AM |
GREENFIELD — The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office dropped a charge of impersonating a police officer against the New Hampshire man who on Friday was sentenced to three years of probation for two gun-related charges.
Brendon L. Douglas, 23, pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court to single misdemeanor counts of unlawful possession of a firearm without an FID card and possession of ammunition without an FID card. A felony count of carrying a dangerous weapon was continued without a finding for three years, meaning the case will be dismissed if Douglas remains law-abiding for the next 36 months. The DA’s office has declined to pursue two additional counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and single counts of carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of a large-capacity firearm, use of body armor in the commission of a felony and impersonating a police officer.
“He’s somebody with a future, your honor,” defense attorney Stephen Shea told Judge Jeremy Bucci, who accepted Douglas’ guilty pleas.
Assistant District Attorney Aidan Lanciani explained Douglas was at the Sunoco gas station on Church Street in Bernardston at around 11:30 p.m. on June 13, 2023, when he was approached by Bernardston Police Officer Jordan Zukowski, who conducted a query of the license plate of the vehicle Douglas was using and learned the registration had been canceled.
According to a police report, the vehicle was a decommissioned blue and white Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser with a push bumper and light bar.
Douglas was wearing a tactical load-bearing vest plated to protect against rifle rounds, and was found to be in possession of three double-edged daggers and a holstered 9mm handgun with a full 17 rounds. Douglas reportedly told Zukowski he worked in security and liked to be prepared to protect himself or others.
“Douglas’ answers were nonsensical, as his story was porous,” Zukowski wrote in his report. “I confronted Douglas about the inconsistencies in his story and how it made little sense. Douglas stated his story was the truth.”
Shea said in court that his client intended to drive from New Hampshire to Washington state, with a visit to Idaho to see family, and got lost in Bernardston shortly into his journey. His plan was to get to Interstate 90 and take that highway to the West Coast.
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“When police came upon him he was in a parking lot, messing with his phone, trying to get service, trying to figure out where he was and get his bearings and get back to where he was going,” he said, adding that if his client had properly stored his firearm, he likely would have been protected by the federal Firearms Owners’ Protection Act’s provision that allows people to transport firearms between states, even if local laws in the states they travel through might be more restrictive. “He clearly was coming from a place (New Hampshire) where he was legal. He was going to a place (Idaho) where he was legal — both [are] constitutional-carry states, where you don’t need a license.”
Shea said Douglas was born in Montana and raised in a religious household in Idaho. He said his client was a member of 4-H, where he learned to handle firearms. He also told Bucci that Idaho has a different cultural perspective on firearms than Massachusetts. Shea added that his client enlisted in the military at 17 years old and eventually received a medical discharge.
During Friday’s plea hearing, Douglas was ordered not to possess firearms, ammunition or dangerous weapons during his probation.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-930-4120.