photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Craig Endecott appears with his attorney, Jessica Glendening, on Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Douglas County District Court.

Two Hispanic construction workers on Thursday told a Douglas County judge that they still have nightmares about an armed and angry man assaulting them one summer morning two years ago as they worked.

They thought the man, Craig Endecott, of Baldwin City, was going to kill them with his rifle, they said in written statements read aloud in court by a Spanish-language interpreter. A third statement, written in English, was read silently by Judge Amy Hanley and was not shared with the courtroom.

The defendant, Craig Endecott — in court Thursday to receive his expected sentence of probation as required by state sentencing guidelines — said through his attorney, Jessica Glendening, that his actions that day, June 22, 2024, were “very outside of his normal behavior” and were attributable to a medical condition that puts pressure on his brain and impacts his ability to regulate his temper and emotions. She did not name the condition in court, but said she had provided extensive medical documentation to the state. She also indicated that Endecott would be receiving treatment for the condition at the Mayo Clinic.

Endecott, who has no criminal history save for a misdemeanor 30 years ago, said, “I just want to apologize. There’s no words to express what I did. …I’m trying to get better.”

Because of his lack of criminal history, the two felony counts of aggravated assault fell into the presumptive probation category under state law.

In line with the plea agreement, Hanley sentenced Endecott to consecutive 12-month terms for the two counts that he had pleaded no contest to last December, then suspended that to 24 months of probation. She also ordered him to abide by all recommendations of a mental health evaluation, to complete an anger management program and to pay $513 in various court fees and costs.

Additionally, she ordered Community Corrections, who will supervise Endecott’s probation, to ensure that no firearms “at all” remain in Endecott’s home. The rifle used in the assault had been confiscated earlier by law enforcement.

As the Journal-World reported, Endecott, before the plea deal, had originally faced three other counts of aggravated assault and criminal threat in the matter.

Endecott’s assaults occurred in the 1800 block of North 150 Road, where the construction crew was framing a house. According to allegations in the arrest affidavit, Endecott was angry about discarded beverage cans in his yard and rode an ATV to the neighboring construction site, where he displayed the rifle and bullets, causing the frightened workers to hide behind a van. One worker hid in the house and filmed part of the encounter with his cellphone.

Endecott demanded to talk to someone who spoke English. An English-speaking man who stepped forward told police that Endecott asked him if he knew what the rifle was, showed him two large bullets and told the man “he had plenty more bullets and could kill them all,” the affidavit said. Endecott, though, told police that he didn’t remember threatening to kill them but said only that he was “good at target practice,” according to the affidavit.

The owner of the home that was being built later shared with deputies a threatening text message and voicemail that he received from Endecott the morning of the incident.

“Yes, your company is building a house across the road from me over in Baldwin City, and if I catch your boys throwing their empty Jumex cans out in my yard again you’re going to have (a) lot less (expletive) employees,” Endecott said in the voicemail, according to the affidavit.

On Thursday, one of the victims told Hanley that the incident “has marked me forever” and left him with nightmares. He beseeched Hanley to ensure that Endecott have no access to weapons. The other man said he has nightmares “every night” and could think of nothing at the time except what would become of his wife and children if Endecott murdered him.