GREELEY – A judge has sentenced a Colorado man to life in prison for a shooting in 2018 that injured a county deputy.
Weld District Court Judge Thomas Quammen sentenced Ismeldo Junior Arredondo, 42, to 208 years in prison after he was convicted by a jury in October on 11 different charges, including attempted first-degree murder of a police officer after deliberation and first-degree assault on a police officer, The Greeley Tribune reported.
Weld County deputies responded to a domestic disturbance in August 2018 just north of Greeley, about 55 miles north of Denver where they found Arredondo armed with a shotgun, authorities said.
Court records said the disturbance started when Arredondo threatened to take a baseball bat to his wife’s car after accusing her of cheating. Authorities said his wife allegedly asked deputies not to shoot Arredondo and that his gun was loaded with blanks.
Arredondo opened fire before he was wounded by a return shot from deputies. Deputy Brandon Stupka was injured in exchange and was rushed into emergency surgery and survived. Stupka returned to duty in January 2019.
Quammen said he hopes the sentence will send a clear message to anyone who thinks about taking similar actions again in Weld County.
“This has not only had an impact on law enforcement in our community, but this has even affected law enforcement throughout the country,” Quammen said. “This is one of the most serious, violent crimes against law enforcement in Weld County that I can recall. If it wasn’t for the extraordinary medical care for the deputy who got shot, this would have been a first-degree murder case.”
