HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The 23-year-old man shot by Hutchinson Police during a standoff was in court this morning where he entered pleas in the case.
Joseph Roman entered “no contest” pleas to 15 counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon while a 16th count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon was dismissed as part of an agreement.
Roman was shot by police after he pointed a shotgun at them during a standoff that lasted over four hours on Aug. 5, 2015. Roman suffered a gunshot wound to the hand in the incident.
Officers arrived after a report that he had threatened his father. Once on scene, they found Roman in the garage of the residence. He reportedly pointed a shotgun at the officers, forcing them to retreat. Roman eventually shot a hole through the garage door with the shotgun and then placed the barrel of the shotgun through the hole and fired several more times near the officers. He then immediately pointed the shotgun directly at the officers, at which time the officers were forced to fire upon the suspect. Just seconds later, Roman opened the garage door and came out unarmed.
After the hearing, his father, Bobby Roman, told us none of that happened the way they said it did. We asked why he entered a plea and his father told us that the state had threatened to amend the complaint making the charges to attempted capital murder if his son didn’t agree to enter pleas. Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell, who was the prosecutor in the case, said he couldn’t comment on what was discussed outside of the courtroom.
Roman remains jailed on a $200,000 bond and he’ll be sentenced on Feb. 26. Because the incident involved a gun, he’s not eligible for a non-prison sanction.