Austin man sentenced to jail time, supervised probation and community work service on felony firearm possession charge in Mower County District Court

An Austin man facing a felony firearm possession charge in Mower County District Court stemming from an incident that took place in Austin on November 27th, 2021 has been sentenced to jail time, supervised probation and community work service.

29-year old Julio Cesar Mendez was sentenced Thursday to 158 days in jail, five years of supervised probation and 80 hours of community work service for a felony charge of being a violent felon in possession of a firearm.  Mendez was given credit for 158 days already served, and a 60-month prison sentence was stayed for five years if Mendez complies with the 15 different conditions of his probation, which include 60 days of home monitoring to ensure no use of alcohol or controlled substance use, including marijuana. 

Mendez first pleaded guilty to the charge on February 6th of this year, and he was convicted the same day.  A felony charge for receiving stolen property against Mendez in the case, along with a gross misdemeanor charge for driving after cancellation, inimical to public safety were both dismissed with his guilty plea.