Probation ordered for man shot by deputy after ramming patrol vehicles during chase
A Wichita man shot twice by a sheriff’s deputy after he threatened officers and rammed patrol cars during a 2019 chase will spend two years on probation for crimes connected to the incident, court records show.
Jeremy E. Sanford, who was hit in the left arm and head when the deputy opened fire, pleaded guilty in November to aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, driving with a suspended or canceled license and fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, court records show.
Authorities have previously said the deputy shot Sanford after he dodged law enforcement attempts to pull over a Ford F-250 pickup tied to a home frequented by members of a burglary ring, drove toward officers and hit two marked patrol vehicles on Jan. 29, 2019. Law enforcement chased Sanford for several minutes before the deputy fired at least five times through the truck’s windshield to stop any additional threat to officers and bystanders, Sedgwick County Sheriff Easter said the day after the shooting.
Sedgwick County District Judge Kevin Mark Smith sentenced Sanford on Feb. 8. The 37-year-old could be ordered to serve 43 months in prison if he breaks any rules while on probation, including orders to hold a full-time job, stay in Kansas or Oklahoma and avoid illicit drugs and alcohol, court records show.
Although Sanford’s crimes were severe enough to land him in prison right away, his defense lawyer argued in court filings that he is a good candidate for probation because he is a newlywed, employed and did well after he was released from jail following his 2019 arrest. He has prior convictions in Sedgwick County for fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement and speeding in 2011 and aggravated battery in 2012, Kansas Department of Corrections records show.
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 12:30 PM.
