Man who shot into neighboring apartment building agrees to plea deal

NEWPORT — A 38-year-old man who was heavily intoxicated when he fired a military assault weapon in the direction of a residence across the street from his downtown Claremont apartment while four children were inside will avoid jail time as long as he abides by the conditions of his plea agreement.

Joshua Deveney pleaded guilty to a felony charge of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge of obstructing the report of a crime. He was sentenced to 18 months to five years in state prison, all suspended, on the felony plea. On the misdemeanor charge, he was sentenced to up to 12 months, with 75 days credit for time served and the remaining 290 days deferred, according to Sullivan County Superior Court records.

Under the conditions imposed as part of his guilty plea, Deveney, who was residing at an apartment on Heritage Drive at the time of the incident, must engage in mental health treatment and have no contact with the adult female and four minors who were inside the apartment at the time he fired the rifle, court records show.

Claremont police along with members of its SWAT team descended upon Deveney’s apartment when callers reported hearing a gunshot coming from the residence in the early morning hours of Oct. 6, 2023.

At the scene, police were informed by an adult female inside the apartment that Deveny had been drinking and acting erratically when he fired an “AK-47 style” rifle in the direction of an upper floor apartment across the street, according to police.

Police found Deveney, who they assessed to be “heavily intoxicated,” asleep on the couch on the apartment’s first floor and took him into custody without incident.