BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. – A defendant who has resided in Bullhead City and nearby Laughlin in Nevada will serve additional prison time as a fourth conviction will result from a plea agreement amended during an Oct. 23 hearing conducted by Mohave County Superior Court Judge Megan McCoy. Gilberto Mendez, 23, previously pleaded guilty Aug. 21 to three other aggravated assault related counts.
Bullhead City Police Department Public Information Officer Emily Fromelt said Mendez was one of the two masked gunman who entered a residence in the 700 block of River Gardens Drive on Feb. 12. A 33-year-old man in the home suffered gunshots to both legs and an arm following an altercation during the intrusion at 5:30 a.m.
Fromelt said “previous interactions” between unidentified parties was the motivation for the confrontation. The shooting and pointing a weapon at a woman inside the residence during the violent encounter at the time bring two assault convictions.
Mendez fled the shooting and was taken into custody in Lake Havasu City about three weeks later on March 5. His third assault conviction is for shoving a Lake Havasu City police officer during his arrest.
The new aggravated assault conviction added during the Oct. 23 hearing involves a Sept. 15 attack on a detention officer. The victim reportedly suffered lacerations behind an ear and to his lip and a bloody nose.
The previously plea mandated an 11-year prison term, while the amended agreement stipulates 13 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Sentencing is scheduled Oct. 29.
