HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 31-year-old Hutchinson man who enter guilty pleas for firing a shot at three Hutchinson Police officers was sentenced Friday to 20 months in prison. Jason Mendoza was convicted of three counts of aggravated assault as part of a plea agreement.
Mendoza shot in the direction of police in the 300 block of East 2nd back in December while the officers were conducting a follow-up investigation in a different matter. Officers found a shell casing from a .30 caliber semi-automatic handgun. A witness spotted a man wearing a jacket running from the scene. Officers found the jacket, which eventually led to the arrest of Mendoza.
During sentencing, Mendoza asked for leniency in the case with his attorney, asking for a lesser sentence or even probation. But Judge Tim Chambers said that because Mendoza had actually texted others telling them he was going to shoot cops, he couldn’t find any reason to go with anything other than what was agreed to in the plea deal.