The Sonya Deville handgun case has been resolved, good news for the WWE Superstar who previously had to deal with a stalker allegedly attempting to kidnap her back in 2020. Deville (aka Daria Berenato) was arrested last February after a handgun was found in her vehicle. According to a 2023 article from the Cherry Hill Post-Courier:

The second-degree charge was filed Feb. 19 after police were called to the Borgata Hotel, Casino and Spa, where a valet employee had reported finding a handgun in a patron's vehicle, according to Atlantic City police.

Jim Walsh of the Cherry Hill Post-Courier is reporting:

The gun was lawfully purchased and registered in another state, but Berenato lacked a permit for its possession in New Jersey, authorities said.

Berenato, a Shamong native who moved to Florida, resolved the charge by completing six months in a pretrial intervention program in late November, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.

While the incident appeared to be an innocent mistake, it could have had dire consequences for Deville.

A Similar Case Could Have Led to Prison Time

Deville's case shares a parallel with another gun case in New Jersey, where a Philadelphia woman inadvertently brought a handgun (which she reportedly was entitled to carry in Pennsylvania)  into New Jersey. The woman faced a mandatory 42-month prison sentence until New Jersey's State Attorney General intervened. The Attorney General wrote a memo to the court about the circumstances of the case:

The 10-page memo said incarceration was "neither necessary nor appropriate" for "otherwise law-abiding persons who inadvertently violate New Jersey's gun laws."

It said those defendants must be under the "misimpression" that their possession of a weapon legal in their home state would also be lawful in New Jersey.

The article added that there are options for cases where a person inadvertently brings a handgun into the state:

It said prosecutors, depending on the circumstances, could either consent to a pretrial intervention request or could pursue a non-custodial probationary sentence.

H/T Cherry Hill Post-Courier

Will Sonya Deville Have a Criminal Record?

The good news here is that Deville will not have a criminal record, thanks to her completing the diversionary program. The New Jersey-based criminal defense attorney website Gelman Law notes:

The first step in the process is that you must plead guilty to the offense charged.  Despite this, upon completion, there will be no formal record of prosecution or conviction.  While the record of your arrest will remain, it can be expunged six months after your charges have been dismissed.

H/T Gelman Law

2023 was a year of highs and lows for Sonya Deville. She received some high-profile singles matches then teamed up with Chelsea Green to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Unfortunately, Deville suffered a knee injury last August and is not expected back until sometime in 2024.

What do you think about this case? 

Photo Credit: WWE