The civil trial for a 25-year-old Hutchinson man convicted of attempted manufacture of methamphetamine and attempted 2nd degree murder resumed Thursday afternoon. Paul Stotts is arguing ineffective counsel at trial and filed the civil filing some months ago.

He’s serving roughly 25-years after being convicted of attempted 2nd degree murder for crashing his vehicle into another, badly injuring the other driver. The state says it was intentional, while Stotts maintains it was an accident. He was also found guilty of having items consistent with a meth lab inside his vehicle, two counts of aggravated battery, and several counts of flee and elude.

The case has to do with the 24-minute high speed chase through both South Hutchinson and Hutchinson which ultimately ended with the crash on K-61 back on March 26th of 2007.

He took the stand Thursday in his own defense and testified that he never felt comfortable with his trial attorney, David Holmes. But he had gone through three other attorney’s and after he asked for a new attorney, now retired Judge Richard Rome agreed, but stated he wouldn’t allow him to seek another attorney again. This after Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton argued that he was lawyer shopping.

He says he only had maybe 3-or- 4 sit down meetings with Holmes and maybe another 2-or-3 by phone in the jail. He says the ones in the jail were very brief.

He talked about how he was never told of a plea offer from the state. He says he wanted to be sentenced to around 10-years and wanted Holmes to get rid of the attempted murder count against him. That never happened, in fact he says Holmes told him that he and Stanton didn’t get along, so no reasonable offer would be made. He says he was never told of a plea offer and during a hearing over the plea agreement, Holmes claimed he had told his client of the offer, but Stotts says that was a lie. Stotts claims he started to speak with Stanton during the hearing about the offer, and believes if asked, Stanton would remember that.

He also brought up prior to the start of the trial while in Judge Rome’s Chambers, Holmes assured him it would be fine. He says Holmes told him that he had beaten Stanton in a previous trial and would do so in this one as well. Stanton was apparently there when that was said and Stotts claims Stanton told Holmes, I’m going to lock him up for the rest of his life for that remark.

Stotts a number of times stated that he couldn’t believe that their bad relationship should have any effect on his case.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell tried to discredit many of the statements made to the court in his cross examination.

The case is again in recess again with closing arguments scheduled for August 23.