Mendenhall III
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The preliminary hearing for a 34-year-old man arrested after two domestic incidents, one where he held police at bay for nearly six hours, is expected to resume Wednesday after the case went into recess second time last week.
The victim in both incidents was testifying about the second incident on Jan.10. She said that she woke up to him breaking a window in his own home. But, during the questioning by the state, she then stated she would probably need an attorney, meaning she might implicate herself in a crime. Judge Joe McCarville then assigned Wichita Attorney Steve Osburn to represent her and dismissed her from the stand.
The state did finish with other witnesses, however, after that they went into recess a second time to allow for the victim to visit with Osburn before returning to the stand.
Mendenhall is charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal discharge of a firearm, criminal threat and two counts of aggravated endangerment of a child in the Christmas Eve incident. In the case from Jan. 10, he’s charged with aggravated battery, aggravated burglary, interference with law enforcement, violation of a protection from abuse order, criminal restraint and battery of Hutchinson Police Officer Josh Long.
The hearing is scheduled to resume Wednesday afternoon.