Bellport man convicted in sober house bat attack assault

Reginald Sonds, 60, was convicted Friday in Suffolk County after prosecutors said he attacked another resident with a metal bat inside a Bellport sober house, leaving the man with a large wound on the left side of his forehead and sending him to Long Island Community Hospital.

The assault dated to Sept. 11, 2022, when police responded to a 911 call from the facility. Investigators said surveillance video showed Sonds interacting with the victim, going to his own bedroom, retrieving the bat, walking into the victim’s room and carrying out the attack. Prosecutors also said he tried to hide the weapon between a roommate’s bed and the wall.

Sonds was found guilty in a bench trial, meaning the judge, rather than a jury, decided the case after hearing the evidence. Suffolk County Probation says a defendant can waive a jury trial and proceed that way, putting the finding of fact in the hands of the court. Sonds is due back in court for sentencing on June 11 and faces up to seven years in prison.

Beyond the courtroom result, the case puts a sharper focus on safety inside sober houses, where residents are supposed to be rebuilding their lives in a structured, supportive setting. The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports says recovery residences are community-based shared living environments meant to provide a physically and emotionally safe, secure, supportive, home-like setting with peer support and links to community services. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says safe, stable housing is essential for people in recovery and can improve housing stability and employment outcomes.

That makes the violence in Bellport especially troubling. Sober houses are supposed to be places where people in recovery can count on stability, not fear an assault from another resident. The conviction leaves Suffolk County to reckon not just with one violent episode, but with what protections, staffing, supervision and reporting systems are in place when serious violence erupts inside a home that is supposed to help people stay sober.