10 months ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - 32-year-old Mariah Spate was sentenced to 12 years and 8 months successful authorities situation connected 4 felony charges related to an incidental successful Aug. 2022, erstwhile she slipped retired of her handcuffs successful the backmost of a Fresno County Sheriff's Office patrol car, pulled a concealed handgun from her undergarments, and fired it aggregate times retired the backmost model of the cruiser.
She had been arrested that day, connected suspicion of felony battle with a firearm, which she would aboriginal beryllium recovered not blameworthy of.
As for the charges she was convicted of, they see 2 counts of felon successful possession of a firearm, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and resisting and enforcement officer.
In Department 70 of the Fresno County Superior Court, Judge Gary R. Orozco, said portion she didn't occurrence the handgun successful the absorption of deputies, she could person injured others oregon worse.
"Yeah, she didn't occurrence successful the absorption of the bid officers to her close successful the patrol car, but determination was an flat analyzable astir 50 yards distant crossed the street... The absorption that she did fire," helium said.
Spate was initially accused of firing aggregate rounds astatine deputies, who past fired connected the woman. She was struck astatine slightest twice.
Spate's Defense Attorney Lanae Oviedo said Spate has continued to woody with injuries from the shooting, injuries that see a slug inactive lodged successful her neck.
At the sentencing, Oviedo asked Judge Orozco for a lesser condemnation of 5 years and 8 months. She argued that would beryllium due with her client's injuries, the information it was Spate's archetypal convulsive offense, adjacent with a agelong transgression past including aggregate felonies successful Lake County, and due to the fact that of her troubled past.
A past Oviedo says includes maltreatment and struggles with intelligence health, which she argues was a origin astatine the clip of the shooting.
"Miss Spate was a unfortunate increasing up of kid abuse, intersexual abuse, and home violence. At the clip of this incident, she was suffering from a intelligence wellness diagnosis," said Oviedo.
However, Judge Orozco would not budge connected the lesser sentence, arsenic helium besides denied the anticipation of probation.
"She's conscionable excessively dangerous. The 2 incidents that were the taxable of this proceedings was a firearm that was fundamentally hidden. It was not brandished until moments earlier the shooting started," helium said.
Spate besides received 926 days successful clip credits, which means she volition service conscionable implicit 10 years down bars.
It's chartless astatine this constituent which detention installation she volition spell to, but the Fresno County District Attorney's Office confirmed she volition archetypal beryllium taken to the Wasco State Prison-Reception Center. There, she volition person an archetypal appraisal for 45 to 90 days earlier it's determined which authorities situation she volition beryllium sent to for the remainder of her sentence.
