A 23-year old Wilmington man will spend 14 years in prison after being sentenced for drug and weapons convictions. Deputy Attorney General Matthew Frawley prosecuted the case against Joshua Chattin. In October 2015, a probation officer doing a home visit at Chattin’s apartment found heroin, marijuana, and several firearms, including two loaded 9 mm handguns, a .45 caliber handgun, and a revolver that fires .410-gauge shotgun shells. In September 2016, Chattin pled guilty to Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, Drug Dealing Heroin Tier 4, Conspiracy Second Degree, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. Superior Court Judge Andrea Rocanelli sentenced Chattin to the minimum mandatory 14 years.
Deputy Attorney General John Taylor secured a prison sentence for Donald Gordon, 21, of Wilmington. In November 2015, Gordon shot a teenager outside of a restaurant in the 2700 block of northeast Boulevard in Wilmington where the two had words. Gordon pled guilty in August to Assault Second Degree, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. Superior Court Judge Richard Cooch sentenced Gordon to a total of eight years in prison followed by probation.
Deputy Attorney General Barzilai Axelrod secured a guilty plea from Tivon Knight, 21, of New Castle, to Robbery First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy Second Degree charges. In March 2016, Knight and three others robbed the Exxon gas station in the 800 block of South College Avenue in Newark at gunpoint. Knight wore a disguise as he wielded the gun, while one co-defendant assisted with removing cash from the register, another acted as a look-out, and another as the driver. Knight demanded cash and threatened to shoot the clerk if he didn’t open the cash registers. The motive for the robbery was to attempt to secure bail money for Knight’s relative. The Newark Police Department, with the quick assistance of the witnesses to the crime all of whom were cooperative, were able to subsequently identify the defendants and where they were staying. As a result, the firearm was ultimately recovered as well. Knight was sentenced by Judge Ferris Wharton to six years in prison followed by probation.
A Wilmington man faces 2 to 33 years in prison when sentenced next March after pleading guilty in connection with stabbing his wife. Deputy Attorney General Renee Hrivnak secured the plea from 53-year-old Randolph Madric of Wilmington, for Assault Second Degree and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony. In January 2016, Madric stabbed his wife in the back and the arms several times during a fight in her home. Madric, who is on probation for Attempted Murder in Maryland, is pending a Violation of Probation in Maryland which will be resolved after he is sentenced in this case by Superior Court Judge Abigail LeGrow.
Deputy Attorney General Cari Chapman secured a guilty plea from Benjamin Johnson, 26, of Philadelphia, to Aggravated Menacing, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony and Animal Cruelty. During an argument with his mother in March 2016, Johnson forced the woman to the ground at gunpoint, and shot and killed her pet pit bull terrier. Johnson faces 2 to 33 years in prison when sentenced by Superior Court Judge Ferris Wharton in February.