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Judge's son, Isaac Vano, found guilty in Overland Park shooting

Victim requires around-the-clock care
Posted at 4:45 PM, Dec 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-04 21:53:02-05

OLATHE, Kan. — A Johnson County judge's son was found guilty Wednesday of two felony counts after shooting an Overland Park man in May 2018.

Isaac Vano, 25, claimed he thought Addison Roberts, 28, was a robber and shot him. However, a Johnson County jury found Vano guilty of aggravated battery and aggravated assault.

According to his mother, Roberts is now confined to a wheelchair and requires around-the-clock care as a result of the shooting.

Separately, Roberts also suffers from Huntington's disease, an inherited illness. It causes the breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, which can lead to movement, cognitive and psychiatric problems.

Roberts was outside the Vano family home and within a block of his family's home when Vano, the son of Johnson County Judge James Vano, shot him on May 15, 2018.

According to Carl Cornwell, Vano's attorney, other neighbors called the police a few hours before the shooting when they found Roberts sitting on their porch. Cornwell described it as one of multiple similar incidents.

Vano told police in a 911 phone call he accidentally shot Roberts while trying to hold him.

Cornwell said he defended his client by arguing Vano was attempting to make a citizen's arrest.

However, Cornwell said Vano's 911 phone call and his subsequent statements to police likely hurt his case.

Vano will likely appeal the guilty verdicts, Cornwell said.

A judge from outside Johnson County was brought in to oversee the proceedings in Vano's case.

Vano originally was on house arrest, but he had his bond revoked earlier this year due to a domestic violence case. He still faces charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated domestic battery, aggravated endangerment of a child and criminal damage to property of less than $1,000 in that pending case.

According to police, Vano attacked his wife, put their infant daughter in jeopardy and broke his wife's cell phone when she was trying to call for help.

Vano is scheduled to be sentenced in the shooting case in January.

Cornwell said Vano faces up to 51 months in prison if the sentencing on the two charges runs consecutively.