A Natrona County District Judge sentenced a Casper man to two years probation Friday for pointing a shotgun at police officers who were inside his apartment last November.

As part of a plea deal, Richard Winsted, 52, pleaded no contest to possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent and had an aggravated assault charge dismissed.

Winsted, who appeared in court wearing blue jeans, a black shirt and black vest, must also pay $200 to the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund. Winsted, as a felon, must also give up all of his firearms.

Just prior to sentencing, Judge Thomas Sullins described Winsted's case as "a little bit unusual."

Winsted was arrested last November after police received two calls from Foxhill Apartments on Missouri Avenue. The first came just before 12:30 a.m. from a maintenance man who said a resident heard what sounded like a large-caliber gunshot inside the complex, police said at the time.

The second call, received at 7:14 a.m., came from a tenant who'd found a bullet hole in an apartment wall.

Police determined the bullet traveled from Winsted's apartment into another, through the floor above and into a common area, where it stopped after it struck a wall. The bullet came from a 9 mm handgun, according to police.

After arriving at the scene, officers knocked on Winsted's door and, hearing no response, entered the apartment to investigate. An officer reported seeing Winsted crouched with a shotgun behind a bed. Winsted, who according to police appeared to be drunk, surrendered just more than an hour later.

He told police he accidentally fired his Desert Eagle 9 mm pistol while cleaning it, according to a police affidavit. He also claimed he was crouched with a shotgun in his apartment because he had heard a loud knock at his door that scared him.

Winsted initially made the plea deal with prosecutors in July, but in September asked Sullins for permission to back out of the agreement, even though it would have exposed him to up to 15 years in prison. In court filings, Winsted said he wanted to withdraw from the deal because he now had the money to hire a private attorney.

Sullins denied the request.

Assistant Public Defender Rob Oldham represented Winsted in court Friday. He declined comment afterward.