A probation guaranteed opportunity has evolved into a likely
prison sentence for a Bullhead
City man who failed to
meet incentives contained in a plea agreement entered last month. Jonathan
Hegge, 36, was required to make an initial restitution payment of $2,000 and
attend his March 15 sentencing hearing in Kingman to earn probation in a
benefit theft case.
His failure to do so exposes Hegge to as many as 8.5 years in prison to resolve the same criminal matters.
Hegge did not show for the hearing and his defense attorneys indicated that they could not explain his absence. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle ordered that a warrant for his arrest be issued.
Prosecutor Jacob Cote previously said that Hegge illegally obtained more than $67,000 in DES and AHCCS benefits from the state of Arizona while he and his wife lived in southern Nevada over a 22-month period ending in Oct., 2015. Hegge pleaded guilty to theft and an unrelated aggravated assault charge involving an incident at the Adult Detention Center following his arrest.
Hegge was released from custody after he entered the plea agreement Feb. 13. Judge Carlisle noted that Hegge failed to report to probation officials as required following his release from the county jail.
