Elkhart Man Receives Nine Years In Prison For Shooting Man’s Leg
By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews
Jonathan David Mast
WARSAW — An Elkhart man will serve nine years in prison after shooting a man in the leg during a verbal argument.
Jonathan David Mast, 39, Elkhart, was charged with battery causing serious bodily injury, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, and intimidation with a deadly weapon, all level 5 felonies. The battery charge was initially a Level 3 aggravated battery charge, which was changed as part of Mast’s plea agreement.
Mast was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court One on Thursday, Aug. 10.
For each charge, Kosciusko Superior Court One Judge Karin McGrath sentenced Mast to six years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with three years executed and one year on formal probation. The three charges will be served consecutively, with the remaining six years of Mast’s sentence to be served as suspended time.
In total, Mast received an 18-year sentence, with nine years executed, three years on formal probation, and six years suspended time.
He has 187 days of jail time credit. A no-contact order with Mast and three people involved in the incident remains in effect.
At sentencing, the man Mast shot testified. He said he now permanently has a rod in his leg because of the shooting and expressed anger with Mast threatening his wife during the altercation.
“That shows his character,” said the man.
Several of the man’s family members also attended the sentencing.
Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dan Hampton asked McGrath to consider the severity and seriousness of the case upon sentencing.
Defense Attorney John Barrett asked the court to consider Mast for Recovery While Incarcerated as part of his prison sentence, noting Mast has changed for the better since the day of the incident.
“There are no winners here and a lot of bad decisions were made,” said Barrett. “Drugs and guns are a recipe for disaster.”
Mast also expressed remorse for his actions.
“I made the wrong choices and I wasn’t in a right state of mind,” said Mast.
“The reality here is someone could have died,” said McGrath.
On Feb. 13, 2022, a Milford detective responded to a report of a shooting at a home. A man was shot in his left leg and was taken to an Elkhart hospital for further treatment.
According to court documents, the man sustained extensive damage to his left femur, which required surgery. The bullet could not be removed from the man’s leg due to its proximity to an artery.
Mast was having a verbal argument with a woman and said he had a gun. When the man told him to leave, Mast shot the man in the leg and then fired a second shot toward the house.
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