SANDPOINT — First District Judge Barbara Buchanan took under advisement Monday a plea for leniency filed by a Blanchard man who shot and injured two Bonner County sheriff’s deputies in 2017.

Adam Deacon Foster is serving consecutive 25-year prison terms for two counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shootings outside his home which injured deputies Justin Penn and Michael Gagnon. The deputies returned fire and injured Foster.

The deputies were attempting to arrest Foster on a misdemeanor battery charge after he allegedly made death threats against his neighbors and threatened to kill law officers if they attempted to intervene, according to court documents. They encountered Foster outside his home, but he ran around the side of the dwelling and ambushed the deputies with a .357-magnum revolver when they pursued him.

While recovering from his wounds, Foster was diagnosed with psychosis and exhibited delusional paranoia, according to motion for a reduced sentence. He was subsequently found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to the custody of the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare for treatment to restore his competency. Foster was diagnosed as schizophrenic while being held at an Idaho Department of Correction facility while awaiting trial.

Foster was ultimately found competent to stand trial and had been compliant with his prescribed medications. Foster pleaded guilty before the case went to trial.

Chief Public Defender Janet Whitney argues Foster’s sentence was excessive in light of his documented mental illness.

“All evidence submitted to the court by these various mental health professionals indicates that Mr. Foster was suffering from acute mental illness at the time of the shootings,” Whitney said in court documents.

Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall said during Monday’s hearing Foster’s psychological issues were “front and center” during the proceedings, court records indicate.

Buchanan is expected to issue a written ruling on Foster’s plea for leniency.

Foster, 33, is serving his sentence at the Idaho State Correctional Institution in Kuna, according to the Idaho Department of Correction. He becomes eligible for parole in 2040, IDOC’s website states.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.