(PA) Man to serve up to 40 years in prison for firing rifle at police

A Westmoreland County judge on Monday said he had no choice but to sentence a Penn Township man to serve up to 40 years in prison for shooting at police during a 2016 standoff. But, even without a state legislative mandatory minimum sentencing requirement in place, Judge Scott Mears said the actions taken by Jody Martz when he shot a rifle through a wall at police responding to a domestic call at his Penn Township home warranted the long prison term.

“The severity of the penalty is appropriate,” Mears said as he acknowledged the courage of three township police officers as they rushed toward the gunfire during the incident at the Thomas Street home Martz shared with his then-wife. “Their natural instinct would be to run the other way, but the officers sped to the scene to protect the family, neighbors and perhaps the defendant himself.”

A jury convicted Martz, 56, in September of assault of a law enforcement officer and multiple counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and simple assault as well as one offense of intimidating a witness. The jury, after a six-day trial, found Martz not guilty of attempted homicide, four additional counts of aggravated assault and two charges related to allegations that he attempted to threaten and intimidate a potential witness while he was free on bond.

The prosecution claimed Martz fired one shot as police responded to a call that he attacked his wife and about 10 women who were attending a home interior decorating party. Witnesses said Martz , a nuclear inspector at Westinghouse, had a fight earlier that day with his wife and drank a bottle of vodka in the basement before he returned upstairs enraged and violent toward the women.

Police said Martz again retreated to the basement, where he armed himself with a Winchester rifle and fired outside through a wall when police arrived.

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/penn-township-man-ordered-to-serve-up-to-40-years-in-prison-for-firing-rifle-at-police/