On Thursday, March 23, Joseph Ferante, of Hamilton Township, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and unlawful possession of the weapon, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
Ferante was arrested on Sept. 9, 2021, when police responded to a residence in Hamilton Township for a domestic dispute. Police found the victim who stated that Ferante had assaulted him and then fled the property, the prosecutor said.
A search of the home yielded a sawed-off shotgun that was determined to belong to Ferante.
Ferante has been held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility since his arrest in September 2021. His plea agreement calls for a five-year state prison sentence with parole ineligibility of three- and one-half years for possession of the sawed-off shotgun. He will also serve a concurrent sentence of three years in state prison for his plea to the aggravated assault, the prosecutor said.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 11.
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