Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputy wounded in March shootout returns to duty, testifies at hearing

The Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputy who was injured during a March 11 shootout has recovered from his eye injury and has returned to full duty, Capt. Mike Stover said Wednesday.

The deputy, Lucas Powell, testified Wednesday at the preliminary hearing for Jason Perez, who is charged with 14 crimes – ranging from attempted first-degree murder to criminal possession of a firearm – in connection with the incident in which Powell was injured.

After a car chase that started in Sedgwick County, Powell said, he and his dog confronted two suspects, a man and a woman, outside a farm near Potwin. Powell said he yelled, “Stop! Put your hands up!” but the man did not put down a shotgun he was carrying.

“In the process of making a second command, a gunshot went off that struck me in the eye,” he testified.

Powell said he lost vision in 25 percent of his right eye. He said his vision is blurry in the other 75 percent. He said doctors have told him the damage is permanent.

Stover said Powell had passed recertification tests after his doctor released him.

At the end of the hearing, Perez was bound over for trial on 14 felony charges, including three counts of attempted first-degree murder. District Judge Greg Waller set a Sept. 23 trial date.

The other defendant in the case, Clara Crosser, is scheduled for a jury trial beginning Nov. 12.

This story was originally published July 31, 2013 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputy wounded in March shootout returns to duty, testifies at hearing."