photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Kenny Evel Bastida

A former linebacker for the University of Kansas has been sentenced to two years of probation for his conviction of aggravated battery.

On Tuesday, Kenny E. Bastida, 20, was sentenced to 24 months of probation with an underlying sentence of 12 months in prison, Dorothy Kliem, trial assistant for the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, told the Journal-World on Wednesday.

If he ever violates the terms of his probation during the 24-month period, Bastida would be sentenced to the prison time, which would also include 12 months of post-release supervision, Kliem said.

As part of his probation, Bastida must obtain an anger management assessment and complete its recommendations. He must also write a letter of apology to the victim and forfeit ownership of a shotgun.

Bastida was convicted in January after he pleaded no contest to the charge of aggravated battery. He had previously pleaded not guilty to two felonies, aggravated battery and aggravated assault, as well as two misdemeanors: criminal damage to property and possession of marijuana. The aggravated assault count and misdemeanors were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, according to Douglas County District Court records.

The conviction stems from an incident reported to KU police on May 15, 2019, at Stouffer Place Apartments on campus.

The victim, a woman who KU police previously told the Journal-World was not a student, told police that Bastida became angry when he lost a video game, “threw her into a dresser” and then started choking her, according to the affidavit supporting Bastida’s arrest. She said he then loaded a shell into a shotgun and pointed it in her face.

Bastida came to KU from Pompano Beach, Fla., and he was on the football team in fall 2018 and the next spring. He had not been part of the football program since the month before the incident, according to KU Athletics officials, who didn’t give a reason for his departure. He played in just four games in 2018.