Huff receives 26-month prison sentence for "road rage" incident

Just before receiving a 26-month prison sentence on two charges of firing a gun at an occupied vehicle on New Year’s Eve 2014, Cory Huff of Topeka turned to face a man who was in one of the cars he was reportedly firing upon that evening and offered an apology.

“That’s not good enough,” said the man, Wayne Wenger. “You could have killed us.”

Huff, 52, received the prison sentence on Friday afternoon in Jackson County District Court after a plea deal in which four charges of attempted second-degree murder were exchanged for the two crimi­nal firearms charges. District Court Judge Norbert Marek told Huff his prison sentence — which will actu­ally be about 19 months with credit for time already served applied — was to begin immediately.

Huff was arrested and taken to the Jackson County Detention Center on Dec. 31, 2014, after it was reported he had “tailgated” a vehicle into Jackson County after a supposed incident at the 46th Street roundabout at U.S. Highway 75 in north Topeka, Jackson County At­torney Shawna Miller said. Along the way, Miller said, Huff “fired shots at two different vehicles... for no apparent reason.”

As a result of that evening’s events, which found Huff “intoxi­cated” at home after their conclu­sion, Miller recommended the maximum sentences available on each of the two charges — 13 months per charge — to run con­secutively, saying that presumptive prison sentences were “more than appropriate.” She also asked Judge Marek to impose “strict conditions” on the bond by which Huff was released from jail on Aug. 15 of last year.

Huff’s attorney, William Rork of Topeka, told Judge Marek that Huff, who admitted being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the inci­dent, was “clean” and has been speaking to alcohol and drug treat­ment groups about his experiences. Rork asked for a “non-prison sanc­tion” so that Huff could continue his treatment.

After apologizing to and being rebuffed by Wenger, Huff admitted he had made “a very, very bad de­cision” at the time of the incident and told the judge he had been work­ing “clearly on rehab and recovery” from an alcohol addiction. Miller, however, responded to Huff’s comments by saying she was “not hearing an acceptance of responsi­bility” for the incident.

Wenger agreed with Miller, dis­puting Huff’s claim that Wenger was trying to run him off the road at the time the incident began.

“There’s no excuse for what you did,” Wenger told Huff.

Judge Marek also agreed, telling Huff his account of the incident was “crap” and that blaming alcohol for his actions was a “flimsy excuse,” even though the judge commended Huff for his efforts at rehabilitation. Those efforts, the judge told Huff, “can continue in prison.”

Upon Huff’s release from prison, Judge Marek ordered him to register for 15 years as a violent offender at Miller’s suggestion.