Central Islip man gets 50 years for Suffolk ESU officer attack

A Central Islip man was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for the attempted murder of a Suffolk ESU officer and the assault of several other officers in 2016.
The officer had responded to a home in Central Islip where Mark Caraway had barricaded himself.  Prosecutors say he was armed and acting irrational at the time. Prosecutors say when the officer went in to try and help Caraway he stabbed him multiple times, almost severing his nose. Caraway was also shot in the abdomen.
"I didn't know what happened. I was in the apartment. It was my friend's house. I went there because I was hearing voices. The voices kept saying stuff in my head. They kept saying that the officer was coming to kill me," said Caraway before his sentencing inside the Riverhead courtroom.
"I just want to say that I apologize to the officer," he said.
The officer underwent four hours of surgery for his injuries and has since recovered.
Caraway's attorney Christopher Gioe asked the court to show some leniency, pointing out the defendant has undergone some psychiatric treatment since being in custody.
"The man that is relegated to this wheelchair today is not the same man who was standing in that room holding that knife," said Gioe.
Judge John Collins told the defendant that a civilized society needs to protect and defend its protectors. If they are attacked, he says “the response must be swift."
"There is no place in a free society for Mr. Caraway based on his behavior during the course of his entire life," said Judge Collins.
Prosecutors say the 42-year-old has an extensive violent criminal history.