New Bedford Man Sentenced in Armed Robbery and Stabbing

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A New Bedford man who beat, robbed and stabbed another man in the city’s South End back in 2024 has been sentenced to up to six and a half years in state prison.

According to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III, Dante Hector, 28, of New Bedford pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 20. He will serve four years to six and a half years on a charge of armed robbery, along with a concurrent sentence for malicious damage to a motor vehicle. He will also spend a year on probation after his release for a charge of assault and battery with a knife.

A History of Crime

Hector had previously served state prison time for a narcotics offense as well as a firearm and assault case.

In April 2018, he was arrested after police found cocaine, suboxone, digital scales, packaging materials, cash and ammunition in his Sycamore Street apartment. At that time he already had open cases for armed assault in a dwelling, unlawful possession of a firearm and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

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The Latest Charges Were the Result of Surveillance and Cell Phone Video

The newest charges stem from an incident on May 7, 2024, when at about 11 p.m. New Bedford Police responded to a report of a man stabbed in the arm in the area of the Ingraham Place parking lot on Rivet Street. Police arrived to find the victim with a stab wound on his right arm. He was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment.

Police said the victim then told them that in addition to being stabbed, he was robbed of his backpack, which contained money, his phone and wallet.

“The victim and his girlfriend stated that the victim was approached by two men who beat and stabbed him,” according to the D.A.’s Office. “Video surveillance and cellular phone video captured much of the incident and led to the identity of Dante Hector as one of the males who beat the victim and as the male who stabbed the victim and robbed him of his property.”

The victim’s motorcycle was also damaged.

“This defendant is a repeat offender who clearly is a danger to the community and needs to be kept off the street to protect the public,” D.A. Quinn said. “This case once again highlights the importance of surveillance video in solving serious crimes, especially when there are legal issues to overcome.”