New Bedford Home Invasion Suspect Sentenced to Minimum of Six Years in Prison

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced today that a 22-year-old New Bedford man, who broke into a young couple’s home and burglarized their home at gun point in the middle of the night last May, was sentenced to serve six to seven-and-a-half years in state prison Friday in Fall River Superior Court.

Donte Reed, formerly of 71 Spruce Street, pleaded guilty in August to an indictments charging him with Burglary Armed Assault on Occupant, Armed Assault in a Dwelling and Armed Robbery while Masked. Sentencing was delayed until last Friday due to a family illness that postponed the completion of a pre-sentencing report by a member of the probation department.

In the early morning hours of May 20, 2014, a 28-year-old female and a 29-year-old male were asleep in bed at their first floor apartment located at Winsper Street in the South End of New Bedford.   The two awake to three masked men in their bedroom.  One of the men had a gun pointed at them, one was considered to be the ringleader, and the other did not speak.  The ringleader was armed with a crowbar. The masked men stole about $2,000 in cash, jewelry, a guitar and various other personal items.  The two victims remained in bed the entire time.  The ringleader also took a credit card from the female victim and wrote down her pin number.  After the robbery, the Vs went to a family member’s house.  They did not call the police and said they were afraid.

After a rapid investigation by New Bedford Police, detectives were able to ascertain that the victim’s credit card had been used at a nearby ATM shortly after the robbery. Video surveillance at the ATM location shows the suspect, who police later identify as Donte Reed. When he is found by police, he is wearing the same sweatshirt as was seen in the ATM video on the morning of the robbery. The other two individuals involved in the robbery have yet to be positively identified.

Assistant District Attorney Patrick Driscoll prosecuted the case and argued for the six to seven-and-a-half year prison sentence. The defendant had requested a five year state prison term.  Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh presided over the case and also placed the defendant on five years supervised probation, to begin upon his release from prison.

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Gregg Miliote
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