A 75-year-old Ansonia man who allegedly shot a neighbor over a years-long dispute regarding water run-off will spend at least five years in prison after taking a plea deal in the case.
Steve Sentementes has been behind bars since his arrest the morning of Easter Sunday 2014 after police said he shot his next-door neighbor on Woodbridge Avenue.
At Superior Court in Milford Monday, Sentementes pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine to first-degree assault and risk of injury to a minor.
Under the Alford doctrine, a defendant doesn’t agree with all of the prosecution’s accusations but concedes that a conviction is likely if the case went to trial.
The Shooting
According to police, Sentementes’ 39-year-old next-door neighbor was sitting in front of his house Easter morning when Sentementes came by unannounced — and then shot the man.
The victim ran into his house, and Sentementes gave chase — and kept shooting, hitting his neighbor in the buttocks, left leg, and right calf.
At some point during the ordeal, police said the victim tackled Sentementes and the two tumbled down the home’s basement stairs.
The two men ended up on the floor of the basement, where the homeowner held down Sentementes until officers responding to the scene arrived.
Cops quickly separated the two, and the victim was taken to Bridgeport Hospital to be treated for his injuries. He survived.
The shooting was rooted in a years-long water runoff issue Sentementes had with his neighbors, police said afterward.
The victim’s house is on higher ground than Sentementes’, which caused water to run off onto Sentementes’ property.
Click here for more details from a previous story.
The Plea
In May Sentementes rejected an offer from prosecutors in the case of between five and 10 years to serve in prison, according to court documents.
The case seemed headed toward trial — with Sentementes’ lawyer filing a notice that he would present a defense based on Sentementes’ mental state at the time of the shooting.
But Sentementes agreed to a plea deal in the case Monday calling for him to serve at least five years behind bars, a mandatory minimum sentence for first-degree assault with a deadly weapon.
The plea deal carries no maximum recommendation, which means Sentementes technically faces a total of 30 years in prison at his sentencing, scheduled for Feb. 26 at Superior Court in Milford.
Court records indicate other charges faced by Sentementes in the case — attempted murder, home invasion, and first-degree burglary — will be dropped after Sentementes is sentenced.
The Valley Indy left a message with the lawyer, John Gulash, Wednesday.
