A truck driver has been sentenced to seven more years in prison after pleading guilty on Wednesday.
Patrick Berthelot was sentenced on Wednesday, May 18th for an incident that occurred on July 18th, 2020 near Anderson Township, Ohio.
According to Fox 19 News, the chase began when officers received calls reporting Berthelot driving erratically in his semi with his wife. Troopers tried to stop the rig, but Berthelot continued driving. Police placed stop sticks, but Berthelot attempted to hit three officers as they placed them, documents show.
The stop sticks flattened on of the truck’s tires, but Berthelot kept driving, even managing to stop at one point and disconnect the trailer from the truck. SWAT eventually stopped the rig by shooting the engine block with a .50 caliber rifle, causing an oil leak and forcing the rig to stop.
Court documents say that Berthelot’s wife was being held against her will during the duration of the chase and that she was being physically assaulted during the chase.
Berthelot was initially arrested on a kidnapping charge. He pleaded guilty to abduction, felonious assault and failure to comply with a police officer. He will serve seven years in prison, taking into consideration his 669 days already served. His license will be suspended for five years.