A 30-year-old Hutchinson man convicted of meth related charges was sentenced tp 156-months, or 13-years in prison Friday after Judge Trish Rose denied a reconsideration for a new trial or judgment of acquittal.
That was the sentence for Roberto Rincon who was convicted for manufacture of methamphetamine, possession of ephedrine and lithium metal and anhydrous ammonia with intent to manufacture and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as a gun charge.
Rincon had been found guilty by Judge Rose after a bench trial on stipulated facts. Rincon then requested a new attorney and also wanted someone else to sentence him instead of Judge Rose. That was denied by the judge. He then filed an affidavit with Administrative Judge Patty Macke-Dick in an effort to get a new sentencing judge which was also denied.
Law Enforcement did a traffic stop at 5th & Van Buren where they arrested Rincon on a warrant over guns. It started with a search of his vehicle, as well as his home at 1612 West 4th, Apt G. During the pat down, Rincon allegedly had a black 380-caliber semi-automatic handgun on his person. He was then arrested and his vehicle taken to the law enforcement center to search for more weapons. When they opened the trunk, they allegedly discovered items suspected as being associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine. Another search warrant was served leading to the meth charges.
Even though he was sentenced to 13-months in prison, he won’t serve that much time in the Kansas Department of Corrections. He has been in the county jail since his arrest in March of 2012, so he will get credit for time he’s already served. That means 11-years, but with any good time credit in prison, that could be knocked down even more.
Rincon still has another case pending trial where he’s charged with criminal use of a weapon, in this case, a shotgun with a barrel less then 18-inches, or any firearm designed to discharge or capable of discharging automatically more then once by a single function of the trigger. This alleged crime occurring on March 10, 2012.