District Attorney Hoovler: Guilty Plea in Town of Wallkill Domestic Violence Burglary Case

Defendant Pled Guilty to Burglary in the First Degree for Home Invasion Stabbing

 

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, Jonathan Harris, 40, of Middletown, pled guilty in Orange County Court to Burglary in the First Degree.  Under the plea agreement announced on the record at the time that Harris pled guilty, the District Attorney’s Office will recommend that Harris serve ten (10) years in state prison and five (5) years of post-release supervision when he is sentenced on February 21, 2023.

As admitted during the plea allocution and in charging documents filed in court, on July 16, 2022, Harris broke into the home of his wife in the Town of Wallkill in violation of a previously issued order of protection.  Inside, the victim attempted to call 911, but Harris knocked the phone out of her hands.  Harris then stabbed the victim in the chest, causing a puncture wound to the victim’s liver.  Harris fled the residence before he was apprehended after a traffic stop by police.  It was later determined that Harris was an active corrections officer for the City of New York.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the Town of Wallkill Police Department for their investigation and arrest of Harris.

 “The defendant’s admitted violent conduct deserves to be met with a significant sentence of incarceration,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “That this defendant was a corrections officer entrusted to protect and serve at the time he committed these violent acts is disturbing. While the victim in this case continues to recover from the injuries caused by the defendant, I hope that this disposition signifies the dedication my Office has to victims of domestic violence.  No person deserves to live in fear in their own home and those perpetrators who violate orders of protection and commit senseless acts of violence will face justice.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mangold.

This criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.