Topekan Paul G. Mendez sentenced to 20 years, six months on convictions for attempted rape
Topekan Paul Gavino Mendez was sentenced Thursday to 20 years, six months in prison on two convictions for attempted rape, said Katie Garceran, public information officer for District Attorney Mike Kagay.
The sentence was imposed by District Judge Bill Ossmann, according to court records.
Mendez, 47, pleaded guilty April 1 in district court to two counts of attempted rape as part of a plea agreement in exchange for the dismissal of various other criminal charges against him, records show.
Kagay's office charged Mendez in February 2021 with 19 crimes allegedly committed in August 2019 and in early 2021 in Topeka.
Mendez last October went on trial, at which a jury convicted him of felony breach of privacy but was deadlocked on all other counts involved, court records show.
Records say Mendez then pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted rape. One was reduced from a rape charge he faced linked to the August 2019 sexual assault of a woman born in 1965 and the other reduced from a rape charge he initially faced linked to the January 2021 sexual assault of a woman born in 1987.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934 or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topekan sentenced to prison for two counts of attempted rape
