38-years-to-life in Mendocino County pursuit case

A 29-year-old San Jose man who fired his gun at a CHP officer during a December 2016 pursuit in Mendocino County has been sentenced to 38 years to life in prison, the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office said.

A jury convicted Ryan Joseph Maxstadt in January of attempted murder of a CHP officer and other charges related to an incident from more than one year earlier in which the ex-convict led authorities on a chase from Ukiah to Willits before his arrest. Superior Court Judge Ann Moorman sentenced him this week.

Originally chased by a Ukiah police officer in connection with mail thefts, Maxstadt fled north on Highway 101 toward Willits, with the CHP joining the 24-mile pursuit.

At one point, Maxstadt fired several shots out the car window toward pursuing CHP officers. No one was hit or hurt, authorities said.

At the time of his Dec. 20, 2016, arrest, Maxstadt had already completed two stints in prison and was on supervised probation, according to Mike Geniella, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office. He was in violation of his probation and was wanted in Santa Clara County when he was apprehended, Geniella said.