Windsor Locks man draws 5-year term in violent Vernon feud
Jul. 14—A man who acted as the getaway driver following the attempted shooting of a juvenile in August 2020 has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Joseph Sandone, 19, of Windsor Locks, was sentenced Friday in Vernon Superior Court. Sandone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree assault.
The charge stems from an incident on Aug. 27, 2020, which was part of a violent, ongoing feud between two groups of young people in Rockville. On that day, two others, Jakwai Sosa and Trenton Merrill, pistol whipped and attempted to shoot a juvenile male on Prospect Street. The male was able to deflect the gun and avoid being shot.
Police said Sandone drove Sosa and Merrill away from the scene. He was one of several people arrested in connection with the incident, and one of 15 arrested in connection with the feud that included multiple stabbings, beatings, and shootings.
Sosa, 22, was sentenced in June to serve five years in prison, followed by five years probation. Sosa was also banned from entering the town of Vernon upon his release, unless he's just passing through on Interstate-84.
Merrill, 20, received a seven-year prison sentence in May.
