A Powell man has received four to eight years in prison for abuse of his wife that reportedly included beating her, putting a knife to her neck and effectively holding her hostage last year.

Jack Weber Sr., 34, accepted the prison time in March, with the sentence finalized in an April 25 order from District Court Judge Steven Cranfill.

Weber “has had some serious mental health issues,” his court-appointed defense attorney, Richard Hopkinson of Worland, said at the March sentencing.

“He (Weber) wasn’t quite in his right mind when all this was done,” Hopkinson said.

Weber’s actions included a lengthy standoff with Powell police in which he reportedly said he wouldn’t “be taken alive.”

Court filings indicate that, after receiving medical treatment and being taken into custody, Weber was deemed to be a threat to himself or others as a result of mental illness and was temporarily committed to the Wyoming State Hospital.

Weber pleaded guilty to a felony count of aggravated assault and battery at March’s sentencing hearing, saying it was his understanding that he’d injured his wife with a knife.

The plea was part of a deal that involved the Park County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office dropping additional felony charges of aggravated assault, kidnapping and strangulation of a household member and a misdemeanor count of interfering with an emergency call.

Weber gave what Judge Cranfill described as a “pretty heavy sigh” when asked if he was sure he wanted to change his plea from “not guilty by reason of mental illness” and take the deal.

“There is a lot at stake,” Weber said before concluding, “Yes, I feel it is the right thing to do.”

Weber’s wife called 911 on the afternoon of March 18, 2015, to report she needed an ambulance.

Responding Powell Police Officer Jason Pellegrino wrote in an affidavit that Weber’s wife was “barely recognizable due to her face having been beaten and severely swollen.” She had bruises on her arms, neck, hands and face and her eyes were nearly swollen shut, Pellegrino wrote.

The woman said Weber had effectively held her hostage — keeping her in his sight and covering her mouth whenever someone passed by their house — over the prior two days, Pellegrino wrote. She said that included Weber slamming her head into the floor, punching her, strangling her until she passed out and pressing a large knife into her throat, the affidavit says.

The woman called for help when Weber went to the store.

While the woman was being treated at the Powell Valley Hospital Emergency Room, Weber called and a family member overheard him tell his wife he was going to “f—ing kill her” if she sent him back to prison, Pellegrino wrote. (Court records show felony convictions for property destruction and theft in 2002 and 2004, respectively, had previously sent Weber to the Department of Corrections’ custody.)

When police arrived at Weber’s home on the afternoon of March 18, 2015, they say he yelled “Come and get some,” and refused to come out. Police entered the house around 7 a.m. on March 19, 2015, after Weber had gone quiet; they found him unconscious and he was taken to a Billings hospital for treatment.

Weber’s wife told Pellegrino at the time that “she did not want to get Jack (Weber) in any trouble because she believes that he has a mental illness,” the officer recounted in his affidavit. She said Weber has schizophrenia and problems with anxiety.

In court filings, Hopkinson has said Weber suffers from problems that include severe anxiety disorder, severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and memory problems.

Weber was ultimately found to be competent to face the criminal charges.

In addition to the prison time, he must pay $245 to the court and more than $12,900 in restitution, mostly to cover his wife’s medical bills.