San Marcos Mercury | Local News from San Marcos and Hays County, Texas

April 29th, 2010
San Antonio man gets 14 years after hitting DPS cruiser

042910shelby1

Richard Shelby.

STAFF REPORT

A San Antonio man is going to jail for 14 years after using his pick-up truck to ram into the patrol car of a state trooper who was issuing a routine traffic citation.

A Hays County jury convicted Richard Shelby, 38, for intoxication assault.

On Sept. 25, 2008, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Trooper Steve Hoppas was writing a routine traffic citation on Interstate-35 north of San Marcos when Shelby’s pick-up truck rammed the cruiser from behind.

Hoppas, who was sitting in the patrol car at the time of the collision, suffered multiple broken bones in his leg, as well as a torn ligament. Shelby fled the scene on foot, but Kyle Police Department (KPD) officers located him about 1/2 mile from the scene. A subsequent test showed that Shelby had a blood alcohol content of .13.

Shelby, who had no previous criminal history, was also sentenced to a five-year prison term for failure to stop and render aid. Because it was determined that Shelby’s vehicle was used as a deadly weapon, he must serve half of his sentence before attaining eligibility for parole.

The case was prosecuted by Hays County Assistant District Attorneys Sydney Norris and Amy Lockhart, with Judge Charles Ramsay presiding.

Email Email | Print Print

--

0 thoughts on “San Antonio man gets 14 years after hitting DPS cruiser

  1. Seems a little stiff for someone without a prior record and no on-scene fatalities. The reason people are getting larger and larger sentences when police are assaulted is because the system itself fears increased retaliation against officers as they continue to abuse civil liberties at an expanded rate in towns across the United States. As these enforcement measures increase, populations will gain resentment, when the court system continues to legitimize the expanded enforcement powers of police, the citizenry will opt to refuse and resist in other ways which inevitably will include the use of force. Its a slippery slope and we’re not headed back up anytime soon.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

:)