Centereach Man Sentenced Following Port Jefferson Burglary

Two men from Centereach have each been sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison for their roles in burglarizing and causing severe destruction to several homes on the north shore, including one in Port Jefferson, according to a report published Thursday in Newsday.

Maurice Jones, 20, and Sion Sosa, 19, were sentenced as part of a plea deal; Assistant District Attorney Erin Cho told Newsday her office had recommended five years.

Jones, according to the District Attorney's office, admitted to his involvement in the Port Jefferson burglary, as well as two more in Miller Place.

Two others were originally charged in the same burglaries – one of which caused a school lockdown in Three Village: Colleen Elam, 18, who recently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years' probation, and Darnell Lofton, 20, has yet to be tried.

The group reportedly burglarized five homes in total – including one on Shady Tree Lane in Port Jefferson that was the fourth authorities said they hit in a five-day stretch.

They were indicted last May, and on Thursday, several of the victims spoke out at the sentencing, according to Newsday.

Maureen Mattern of Setauket, for whom the defendants had left an axe on her bed, asked, "What was the point of leaving the ax on my bed? Was it fear? You accomplished that."

For Nicholas Seeberger of Setauket, the defendants trashed his house. They sprayed fire extinguishers, destroyed paintings and a piano, and plugged drains and turned on the water which caused a ceiling to collapse. "It is sick. It is evil," Seeberger said.

Click here to read the full report from Newsday (subscription required).