BURLINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Brayden Hemingway, 18, of Vergennes, Vermont, has been charged by criminal complaint with interfering with commerce by robbery, specifically the robbery of the Stewart’s Shop in South Burlington, Vermont on September 13, 2026.
On September 15, 2026, Hemingway appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Hemingway was ordered detained, pending a detention hearing, which is currently scheduled for September 22, 2026.
According to court records, at approximately 7:00 pm on September 13, 2026, South Burlington Police were dispatched to the Stewart’s Shop on Shelburne Road in South Burlington, Vermont, following an armed robbery. Security footage showed a male—later identified as Hemingway—arrive at the store in a white Kia Soul, enter the store, point an apparent handgun at store clerks, demand money, and then leave the store with cash. A man matching Hemingway’s description and apparel robbed the Winooski Champlain Farms convenience store approximately an hour earlier in a similar manner. Hemingway is further suspected of engaging in three burglaries in Burlington and South Burlington between September 12 and 14, 2026.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the criminal complaint contains allegations only and that Hemingway is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Hemingway faces up to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the South Burlington Police Department, the Burlington Police Department, the Milton Police Department, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, the Vermont Highway Patrol, and the Winooski Police Department. Ophardt added: “I am extremely grateful for the coordinated, diligent, and swift work of the officers and agents who investigated these crimes, and who safely apprehended Hemingway.”
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Smith. Hemingway is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.