FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| For Release: | November 21, 2016 |
| Contact Person: | Brian Naugle |
| Deputy Prosecuting Attorney | |
| 208-287-7700 |
On November 17, 2016, the Honorable Judge Lynn Norton sentenced 39-year-old Patrick Anthony Zavala to a term of 30 years in prison after an Ada County jury convicted Mr. Zavala of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a convicted felon, Aggravated Assault on a Boise Police Officer and two counts of Resisting and Obstructing Officers in September 2016. The jury also convicted Mr. Zavala of being a persistent violator of the law for having two or more prior felonies.
Mr. Zavala, who at the time of his arrest was on parole for a Felony Driving Under the Influence conviction, was arrested on October 26th of 2015 after running from police during a traffic stop with a loaded semi-automatic handgun. During the chase, Mr. Zavala was confronted by an officer and ordered to drop his gun. Mr. Zavala responded by pointing his handgun at the police officer, who fired at Mr. Zavala multiple times, striking him once in the leg. Mr. Zavala then shot himself in the hand before ultimately being taken into custody by police.
Judge Norton’s sentence consisted of five years fixed and twenty-five years indeterminate for the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and twenty years fixed with ten years indeterminate for the charge of Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer, both as enhanced by the Persistent Violator sentencing enhancement. The sentences for each count are to run concurrently, making Mr. Zavala eligible for parole after serving twenty years in the Idaho Department of Corrections.