A man who was shot by Bethel police after chasing and striking an officer with a baseball bat was sentenced to three years in prison with two suspended. Aaron Moses was sentenced Friday in Bethel Superior Court. Because he’s been in custody since last summer, he will have time served credited to his sentence.
In a sentencing hearing focusing on Moses’ well-being, his brother, Byron Moses, spoke briefly about the mental health struggles of his sibling.
“Despite all of this I still love my brother. I just pray and hope he gets the help he needs. I’m not here to testify against him. I’m here telling him he needs help,” said Moses.
The court says that Moses had not been taking his medication last summer when he began fighting with his brother after asking for a gun because he was suicidal. He then went outside with a baseball bat and broke the windows on his brother’s truck.
He swung the bat at Bethel police as they unsuccessfully tried to subdue him. After officer Sammie Hendrix was knocked to the ground and struck, he shot Moses. A witness captured the incident on video.
Judge Dwayne McConnell also sentenced Moses to three years of probation with several conditions.
“One the conditions is that you have to take your medication, in my view that’s the most important one. If you don’t, like I told you, you’ll be back here in court. And I don’t want to see you in court, I just want to see you at the AC or the Sea Lion or someplace.”
Moses originally faced two assault charges and one for felony criminal mischief. With his guilty plea, it was reduced to one felony assault charge for causing injury with a weapon.
Ben Matheson is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.