East Hartford felon gets 33 months for having gun

Alex Wood, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Apr. 20—An East Hartford man who had an unloaded handgun in his pants pocket when police caught him after a foot chase through back yards on Governor Street in East Hartford during a marijuana investigation last August was sentenced Monday to 2 3/4 years in federal prison.

The sentence imposed on Dionte Wilson, 25, by Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in U.S. District Court in Hartford was at the top of the range the two sides had agreed was called for by federal guidelines for his crime, possessing a gun after a felony conviction.

In December 2019, Wilson, who had past convictions for criminal possession of a weapon and possessing a narcotic with the intent to distribute it, attended a Project Longevity "call in." During that meeting, officials warned of the consequences of criminal activity and offered services, including drug treatment and help with employment and housing.

Wilson "eschewed the offer of assistance," prosecutor Kenneth Gresham wrote in his sentencing memorandum, adding that, before the month was over, Wilson had been shot and, separately, arrested on a charge of selling narcotics — all while on probation.

GUN SENTENCE

DEFENDANT: Dionte Wilson, 25, formerly of 88-90 Governor St., East Hartford

GUILTY PLEA: Possessing a gun after a felony conviction

SENTENCE: 33 months in prison, followed by three years' supervised release

That same month, the Hartford Police Department's intelligence division began investigating pictures of armed people, including Wilson, found on social media.

Last August, an FBI task force made several controlled purchases of marijuana from Wilson and got a search warrant for his home at 88-90 Governor St., authorities say.

Wilson made another marijuana sale to a confidential informant Aug. 10 in the parking lot behind his home, authorities say. When officers in vests identifying themselves as police approached him, he ran across the yard and jumped a chain-link fence before being caught in the next yard, the prosecutor wrote.

Wilson had an unloaded .380-caliber pistol in his pocket and $435 on him, and he told police that he was carrying the gun to protect his "people," according to the prosecutor.

In a subsequent search of Wilson's home, East Hartford police found a loaded magazine of .380-caliber ammunition, about 100 rifle bullets, $765, and a digital scale, the prosecutor continued.

Wilson was arrested on state charges and released on $250,000 bond eight days later. After he posted Snapchat videos of himself brandishing guns, he was arrested in early September on federal gun charges stemming from the Aug. 10 incident, according to the prosecutor. He has been held without bond since then.

Assistant Federal Defender Tracy Hayes wrote in his sentencing memo that Wilson was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1995 to a 14-year-old mother and a 15-year-old father. He suffered from asthma and spent "countless nights" in the emergency room, the defense lawyer wrote.

In 1998, Wilson's mother returned to her native Hartford. Because of her work schedule, she relied on others to take care of her children, and Wilson recalled that one babysitter would punch him and lock him in a closet.

When Wilson was about 5, he witnessed his first shooting while playing outside with other children, his mother has said.

At age 9, he went to a corner store for groceries, and there was a shootout outside, according to the defense lawyer. The store clerk told Wilson to run home and "not look down," but he did and "saw a man bleeding out on the street, who later died from his injuries," Hayes continued.

Wilson's childhood was touched with much other violence, including Hartford police Officer Robert Lawlor's fatal 2005 shooting of Jashon Bryant, Wilson's cousin, and wounding of Brandon Henry, Wilson's uncle, the defense lawyer wrote.

For updates on Glastonbury, and recent crime and courts coverage in North-Central Connecticut, follow Alex Wood on Twitter: @AlexWoodJI1, Facebook: Alex Wood, and Instagram: @AlexWoodJI.

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