Kendall case now headed toward trial

A high profile felony aggravated assault case is headed toward a jury trial after the defendant, Jeremiah Kendall, withdrew his guilty plea in Lincoln County District Court.

Kendall, 40, was given a week on Oct. 19 to determine his course of action after District Judge Matthew Cuffe indicated he would not be following the recommended sentencing guidelines contained in his plea agreement. Kendall had struck a deal with prosecutors where, in exchange for a guilty plea, he would serve 10 years of a suspended 20-year sentence for aggravated assault behind bars.

Had Cuffe gone along with the recommendations, Kendall would have received a second, fully suspended 10-year sentence for tampering with or fabricating evidence.

On Oct. 26 — the date of Kendall’s rescheduled sentencing hearing — County Attorney Marcia Boris confirmed to Cuffe that Kendall had withdrawn his plea, setting the stage for a jury trial in the coming months.

Kendall is accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2014 and waiting more than a day to seek medical care for her. Authorities began investigating him after doctors at a local medical facility reported that the victim’s injuries did not correspond with falling from a table, as Kendall and his mother had told them.

Kendall also is accused of later using the victim’s phone while she lay in a medically induced coma to cover up past evidence of abuse.

Held in the Lincoln County Detention Center since having his bond revoked for release violations in late summer, Kendall sought a plea deal after Cuffe determined he would allow prosecutors to use his past bad acts in a trial.

On Oct. 19, though, Cuffe said that Kendall required a “harsher” sentence than what was outlined in the deal.