A judge in New London on Tuesday sentenced a 36-year-old former Rhode Island man to 10 years in prison for an armed home invasion in Norwich in 2022.

Jevon Scholl previously had pleaded guilty to charges of home invasion and unlawful possession of an assault weapon as part of a plea agreement to avoid a trial.

On the morning of Nov. 28, 2022, Scholl entered a home on Cliff Street with an AR-15 style rifle with a flash suppressor and high-capacity magazine. Police said a couple and three children were home at the time of the break-in. The couple disarmed and subdued Scholl before police arrived.

Police said Scholl’s gun discharged into the ceiling during the struggle with the residents.

Scholl has been in prison since his Nov. 28 arrest. His attorney, Kevin Barrs, said he disputes some of the allegations against him and claims he was at the home to sell the weapon and never planned to commit a home invasion. Scholl had pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine, which means he does not agree with all of the allegations against him but does not want to risk a trial and the possibility of a stiffer sentence.

At the time of his arrest, Scholl was a convicted felon with a previous conviction in Rhode Island for carrying a pistol without a permit. The 10-year prison sentence is the mandatory minimum for a home invasion conviction in Connecticut. Scholl’s prison term will be followed by five years of probation.