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Orange County resident Talmadge Leonard, age 28, of Port Jervis, was sentenced to seven years in prison in Orange County Court on Wednesday, March 6. It followed his guilty plea to one count of burglary.
Prosecutors said Leonard and another culprit broke into the victims’ Deerpark residence just after 3 a.m. on Sunday, April 16, 2023 donning masks and gloves.
At some point, the occupants of the home woke up and saw Leonard brandish what appears to be a gun and his accomplice display a knife, prosecutors said.
The duo demanded and then stole money and marijuana from the homeowners before fleeing the scene.
Investigators later identified Leonard as a suspect after one of the victim’s recognized his voice. He confessed that he entered the home set on committing a crime.
“It is every resident’s worst nightmare to have a perpetrator violate the sanctity of their home,” said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler.
“This defendant’s violent and terrifying conduct justly resulted in his conviction and the significant prison sentence imposed.”
Leonard was additionally sentenced to five years of parole.
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