Man sentenced to house arrest

PORTALES — A man shot by law enforcement during a low-speed chase in 2018 was sentenced Thursday to a year of house arrest, followed by two years of supervised probation.

James McFarlin, 50, of Lake Havasu, was sentenced per a no-contest plea to fourth-degree felony charges of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer.

According to a release from the district attorney’s office:

n Roosevelt County sheriff’s deputies were called Jan. 15, 2018, and discovered McFarlin stole a tractor and used it to flip over the vehicle of his estranged wife.

n McFarlin took off in the tractor and refused to obey deputy commands to stop. After Sheriff Malin Parker’s shots at the tractor tires failed to stop the vehicle, Parker fired on the cab of the vehicle. McFarlin was shot in the head.

District Judge Donna Mowrer called McFarlin’s actions dangerous, but in delivering the sentencing recognized his medical conditions. While McFarlin has recovered from his injuries, the release said, he continues rehab treatments.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Stover and Deputy District Attorney Quentin Ray represented the state. McFarlin was represented by Quinn Kirby of Albuquerque. A message left for Kirby Friday was not immediately returned.