Rhode Island man arraigned on 17 charges, including attempted murder of 3 Vermont state troopers

Brenden Sackal pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday morning. The charges stemmed from a shootout in Burke last month following a chase.

By Theo Wells-Spackman
August 8, 2024, 6:57 pm



Brenden Sackal. Photo courtesy of Vermont State Police

Brenden Sackal of Rhode Island pleaded not guilty in Caledonia/Essex County Superior criminal court Thursday morning to 17 charges, including three counts of attempted aggravated murder, related to last month’s shootout with state police in Burke.

Brenden Sackal, who was injured in the July 14 firefight, was ordered by Judge Benjamin Battles to be held without bail in the brief court appearance.

Sackal was extradited to Vermont earlier this week after his discharge from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, according to a statement from Vermont State Police on Wednesday.

On Thursday afternoon, the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced in a press release that a federal grand jury had separately returned an indictment of Sackal on a charge of possessing an unregistered machine gun. Sackal’s federal arraignment date has not yet been released.

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