Cardona
Degroat
Monroe
Reed
GOSHEN – Four Middletown men pled guilty in Orange County Court on Monday to armed burglary in connection with a Town of Mount Hope home invasion on February 12.
During their pleas, Angel Cardona, 34, Daniel Degroat, 24, and Jeremy Monroe, 30, all admitted they forced their way into the home armed with knives, while Albert Reed, Jr., 32, acting as the getaway driver, waited outside. They all admitted they intended to steal property from the home.
The male victim in the home was stabbed and beaten during the robbery. A woman and her 18-year-old daughter were threatened with knives, bodily harm and sexual abuse.
As the four robbers fled the residence, they threw the proceeds of the robbery, including electronics and jewelry, from their car, as police pursued them.
Under the plea agreement reached in the case, the court agreed to sentence Monroe and Degroat to 15 years in state prison, Cardona to 10 years in prison, and Reed to seven years in prison. They are expected to be sentenced in June.
“Violence of this kind cannot be tolerated, and the fact that this occurred in the victims’ home, where they had a right to expect to be safe, makes this crime even more egregious” said District Attorney David Hoovler.
