Durham men get prison time for violent Orange County home invasion. Person case pending.
An Orange County judge sentenced two men to more than 20 years in prison for a violent home invasion south of Hillsborough in 2018.
Jason O’Neal Brown, 38, of Durham, was sentenced to between 30 and 40 years in prison under an Alford plea, which does not require him to admit guilt for his crimes, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in news release Tuesday.
Court records show Brown was convicted of first-degree burglary, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a stolen firearm, conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary, possession of a firearm by a felon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and being a habitual felon.
His accomplice, Jodeci Mustaffa Gaddy, 27, of Durham, will serve 20 to 28 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.
Charges against both men of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, second-degree kidnapping, assault by pointing a gun, and breaking and entering a motor vehicle were dismissed as part of their pleas, court records show.
Investigators said Brown and Gaddy also were charged in a Person County home invasion that happened the same night.
Those charges of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary, first-degree forcible sex offense, attempted first-degree rape, attempted first-degree murder, larceny, and breaking and entering a motor vehicle are still pending.
They also face charges of obtaining property by false pretenses and possession of stolen goods or property in Durham County.
Violent crimes in Person, Orange County
Investigators said Brown and Gaddy broke into the home through an unlocked front door around 2 a.m. Oct. 19, 2018, off Lucas Farm Road. The subdivision is near Old N.C. 86 and New Hope Church Road.
Brown and Gaddy attacked the woman who was sleeping inside, and her screams woke her husband, who was shot in the hand as he tried to help his wife. The couple were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators said a financial card stolen during a Person County home invasion that happened about an hour earlier helped to identify Brown and Gaddy.
The female victim in that case reported that two men had entered her home through an open garage door between midnight and 1 a.m. Oct. 19. The men hit her in the face with a gun, demanded guns and money, and sexually assaulted her, she told investigators.
A young child in the home was not injured, but the woman was beaten severely and did not move until she was sure the men had left, investigators have said. She jumped out of a window with the child to get to safety, they said.
Witness, evidence bring confession
A witness later reported a black Chevrolet Impala with black wheels that was parked outside the Person County home at the time of the crime. The car was familiar to deputies and investigators in both counties, officials have said.
Security footage of two men using the card stolen in Person County at a bank near Durham’s Northgate Mall helped identify Brown and Gaddy.
The men were arrested at the Guess Road car wash, where they worked in Durham, and confessed to the home invasions and numerous car break-ins when investigators interviewed them, sheriff’s officials have said.
The Chevrolet Impala was nearby when Brown and Gaddy were arrested, investigators reported, and they found enough stolen property to fill a van and a large sport utility vehicle when they searched the men’s homes.
N.C. Department of Corrections records show Brown was on parole when the crimes were committed, after serving more than 12 years for attempted first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and felony breaking and entering in Durham. Gaddy does not have a prior record listed on the Department of Corrections website.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office received help from the Person County and Durham County sheriff’s offices, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the Roxboro and Durham Police Departments, Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in the news release.
“We all deserve to feel safe in our homes while we sleep, and this crime robbed the couple of that security. They have worked hard to recover, not only physically, but also to cope with and overcome the mental trauma,” Blackwood said. “I am pleased this case has resolved, and I hope the couple feels an additional sense of security now.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Durham men get prison time for violent Orange County home invasion. Person case pending.."
