Austin man convicted on three felony charges in Mower County District Court

An Austin man facing six different charges, five of them felonies in Mower County District Court stemming from an incident that took place at a residence in northwest Austin late on the morning of Friday, August 11th where he was taken into custody after being found wearing body armor and in possession of a firearm after allegedly brandishing the weapon is pleading guilty.  

25-year old Jose Juan Alvarez-Bentzin Jr. was convicted at a hearing Friday after pleading guilty to felony charges of 2nd degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and also for committing a crime while wearing and/or possessing a bulletproof vest after initially pleading not guilty on August 28th to those charges, plus also to an additional felony charge of 2nd degree assault with a dangerous weapon, also to a felony charge for receiving and/or possessing a firearm with an altered serial number, and Alvarez-Bentzin Jr. also pleaded not guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge for being ineligible to receive, ship or transport weapons all stemming from the August 11th incident.  

Bentzin Jr. was also convicted after pleading guilty Friday to a felony charge of 3rd degree drugs, sale of a narcotic stemming from an incident that took place in Austin on March 30th, 2022, and he is also facing a gross misdemeanor 5th degree drug possession charge stemming from an incident that took place in Austin on April 7th of this year.  

A sentencing date for Bentzin Jr, who was scheduled for a jury trial in Mower County District Court to start on October 16th has not been scheduled at last word.  Bentzin Jr. is still being held in the Mower County jail on $150,000 bail or bond with no conditions.