HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Hutchinson man who exchanged gunfire with police following a five-hour-long standoff had his motion to withdraw his plea denied in Reno County District Court Monday. Brenden Jones had entered guilty pleas to numerous charges in Reno County District Court.
During the hearing Monday, Jones told the court he never understood what was happening during his plea hearing in March of 2019 and claims that his defense attorney Steve Osborne told him if he went to Larned State Hospital he would avoid prison time. He says he just agreed with the court because he was told to. Jones has been at Larned ever since. During Monday’s hearing Judge Joe McCarville stressed that he ordered Jones to Larned for a pre-sentence investigation not for anything related to his competency.
Osborne also testified Monday. Osborne said while he did mention a dispositional departure at the beginning of the case by the time all of the facts were known he said any chances of that were gone. As part of the plea deal the defense would get to argue for a 25-year sentence. Jones could be facing as much as 154 years.
The incident began early June 20 of 2019 with a reported shooting. Police found Jacob Foley with a gunshot wound to the thigh. Several hours later, police located Jones, in a house in the 300 block of W. 16th Ave. where the long standoff began.
After a more than five-hour standoff with police, Jones and officers exchanged gunfire with Jones being wounded at that residence. Along with the eight counts of attempted first-degree murder Jones also pleaded guilty to aggravated battery for shooting Foley along with possession of a firearm by a felon.
With the motion denied, Jones will be sentenced on Thursday, August 26.
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