January 23, 2024 5:31 pm
• Last Updated: January 23, 2024 5:53 pm
A man whose armed home invasion was foiled by a Norwich couple who then beat and subdued him until police arrived will spend 10 years in prison.
Jevon Scholl, with a last known address in Kingston, R.I., pleaded guilty on Tuesday in New London Superior Court to the charges of home invasion and unlawful possession of an assault weapon. He accepted a plea agreement with state prosecutors to avoid a trial in the case.
On Nov. 28, 2022, Scholl was armed with what police described as a center-fire AR-15-style rifle with a flash suppressor and collapsible stock and a high-capacity magazine with 28 rounds when he broke into a Cliff Street apartment occupied by a couple and their three children.
Norwich police, responding to a 911 call from the apartment, arrived to find Scholl had been disarmed and was being held down by a man. Scholl was hospitalized with leg and facial injuries that police said he sustained when he was repeatedly punched in the face by the husband and then struck by his wife with a 20-pound kettle ball, a strength-training weight.
The husband told police he was asleep in bed with his wife and 5-year-old child at 5:30 a.m., when he saw a shadow approaching his bedroom. The shadow was followed by the barrel of a rifle.
The husband waited at the door, grabbed the gun and wrestled with Scholl, police said. The gun fired into the ceiling during the struggle, and Scholl could he heard saying “shoot them Mel,” which police said was an indication a second person was involved.
With Scholl on the ground, police said the man’s wife helped disarm Scholl by striking his ankles and knees with the kettle ball.
The couple sustained minor injuries during the confrontation. Police have not made a second arrest in the case. Assistant State’s Attorney Theresa Ferryman said Scholl was uncooperative when questioned by police.
Police have said it appears the home was targeted because Scholl and the second suspect believed there was a large sum of money there.
Scholl is a convicted felon who was on probation in Rhode Island at the time of his arrest and barred from owning firearms. His last gun-related offense was in Rhode Island in 2007, when he was convicted of carrying a pistol without a permit, Ferryman said.
New London Superior Court Judge John Newson explained to Scholl on Tuesday that the 10 years for the home invasion is the mandatory minimum sentence under state law. Scholl’s sentence will be followed by five years of probation. Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for April 2.
Scholl pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine, which means he does not agree with all of the allegations against him but does not want to risk a trial and the possibility of a harsher sentence if convicted.
