Sedgwick County Jail inmate charged with aggravated assault after deputy burned by boiling water

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A detention deputy with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is continuing his recovery at home following a few days in the hospital as the inmate


accused in the attack that injured him


made his first court appearance on Friday. In court, a Sedgwick County District Court judge charged 20-year-old James Chavez with one count of aggravated battery and set his bond at $150,000.

The deputy, burnt by boiling water in the attack reported on Monday evening, was released from the hospital on Thursday morning. The incident happened at about 7:15 pm. Monday, April 14, while the deputy was speaking with inmates in a housing pod. The sheriff’s office said that Chavez obtained a pot of boiling water and threw it on the deputy, causing second and third-degree burns to the back of his body.

Chavez was originally booked into the Sedgwick County Jail in March 2024 on pending juvenile charges, and later faced an additional charge for trafficking contraband into a correctional facility. He has had 39 documented disciplinary incidents since entering the facility, records show.