LAKEPORT >> A jury has found Daniel York guilty of five out of six counts nearly a year after York allegedly struck a police officer with his SUV during a traffic stop.
York faced charges of attempted murder of a peace officer, felony hit-and-run resulting in injury, assault with a deadly weapon not a firearm and avoiding a peace officer causing serious injury. However, the jury couldn”t reach a verdict on the count of an attempted murder and District Attorney Art Grothe moved to dismiss the charge.
“We got five out of six, that”s plenty,” Grothe said.
Judge Andrew S. Blum also found York had a three prior strike conviction and seven prison priors, according to Grothe.
York”s charges stem from an incident that occurred on Sept. 22, 2013 in Clearlake after Clearlake Police Department officers pulled him over on a traffic violation. When the officers were out of their police vehicle, York allegedly put his 2007 Chevy Tahoe in reverse and accelerated, pinning an officer against a parked Ford F-250 truck. York reportedly hit the truck with enough force that it moved the truck a few feet. The officer sustained serious injuries, but was declared to be in stable condition later at the hospital.
York had denied that the officer was ever pinned against the truck. His attorney, Barry Melton, previously said in court that York did not know the officer was behind his SUV when the incident occurred.
York”s sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 20 and Grothe said he expects York to face “some number of years, plus life” in prison.
“It”s going to be a long time,” Grothe added.
