Monday
Jan242011
Jury sentences man to 5 years for Evading Arrest
After a short deliberation period, 12 jurors found Mr. Robbie Alonzo Dudley guilty of Evading Arrest/Detention with Vehicle with Previous Conviction on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 3:00pm. The jurors also found that Mr. Dudley used a deadly weapon by driving dangerously in his speeding car. After hearing punishment evidence, the jury sentenced Mr. Dudley to five years in prison.
The high speed chase began on December 8, 2010 at 11:00pm. Officers Allen and Berrymoore were on patrol when they saw Mr. Dudley run a stop sign. The officers gave chase, but Mr. Dudley refused to stop. After weaving dangerously in and out of traffic and running a red light, Mr. Dudley’s car finally came to a stop when it collided with a white van in the intersection of South Loop 256 and South Sycamore. One of the passengers in the van was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Mr. Dudley then jumped out of the car and tried to flee on foot. The black truck driven by Mr. Dudley continued to roll forward because Mr. Dudley never put it into park. No bystanders were injured by the rolling vehicle. The officers apprehended Mr. Dudley, and he was arrested and taken to the Anderson County Jail.
At trial, Mr. Dudley’s attorney, Larry Coker, argued that Mr. Dudley was fleeing because he heard the sound of gunshots and thought that they were aimed at him. Assistant District Attorney Stanley Sokolowski offered a different, and ultimately more persuasive, explanation.
“If you really thought someone was shooting at you, I would think the first person you’d run to would be a cop,” he said during closing argument. “He fled over two miles before he was finally caught.”
The evidence against Mr. Dudley showed that he had no driver’s license or insurance at the time of the chase, and that he had prior criminal convictions, include two for Evading Arrest.
During the punishment hearing, evidence of those previous convictions was admitted against Mr. Dudley. After deliberating for less that an hour, the jury handed down a sentence of five years in TDCJ.
Judge Bascom Bentley presided over the trial.
The high speed chase began on December 8, 2010 at 11:00pm. Officers Allen and Berrymoore were on patrol when they saw Mr. Dudley run a stop sign. The officers gave chase, but Mr. Dudley refused to stop. After weaving dangerously in and out of traffic and running a red light, Mr. Dudley’s car finally came to a stop when it collided with a white van in the intersection of South Loop 256 and South Sycamore. One of the passengers in the van was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Mr. Dudley then jumped out of the car and tried to flee on foot. The black truck driven by Mr. Dudley continued to roll forward because Mr. Dudley never put it into park. No bystanders were injured by the rolling vehicle. The officers apprehended Mr. Dudley, and he was arrested and taken to the Anderson County Jail.
At trial, Mr. Dudley’s attorney, Larry Coker, argued that Mr. Dudley was fleeing because he heard the sound of gunshots and thought that they were aimed at him. Assistant District Attorney Stanley Sokolowski offered a different, and ultimately more persuasive, explanation.
“If you really thought someone was shooting at you, I would think the first person you’d run to would be a cop,” he said during closing argument. “He fled over two miles before he was finally caught.”
The evidence against Mr. Dudley showed that he had no driver’s license or insurance at the time of the chase, and that he had prior criminal convictions, include two for Evading Arrest.
During the punishment hearing, evidence of those previous convictions was admitted against Mr. Dudley. After deliberating for less that an hour, the jury handed down a sentence of five years in TDCJ.
Judge Bascom Bentley presided over the trial.
Monday, January 24, 2011 at 05:04PM