A few extra minutes of freedom will cost a former Stanwood man an additional five years behind bars, a judge decided Wednesday.
Lonnie Joseph Huber, 28, was sentenced to the term because he ran from police in November and injured an officer when he tried to escape into a building in Everett.
A jury convicted Huber of third-degree assault on Jan. 27. The long term reflected his 14 past felony convictions, as well as a host of misdemeanor offenses.
The five years is added on to a nine-year sentence Huber recently received on three other convictions — assaulting a custodial officer, not registering as a sex offender and illegally possessing a gun.
Deputy prosecutor Julie Mohr told Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wynne that Huber deserved the five years, the high end of the sentencing range, partly because of his criminal history.
Huber was allowed to leave the jail on a 48-hour leave to be with his girlfriend and their newborn child. He didn’t return to jail Nov. 13 as he should have, and Everett police went looking for him.
They found him at an Everett residence, but while in custody he collapsed from a drug overdose and was taken to a hospital. When he regained consciousness, he left the hospital, and
Everett police resumed the search for him.
When officers spotted him a short time later, Huber ran down an alley and into a house with police in pursuit. Court documents said Huber struck one officer was struck with a music amplifier, and another suffered a broken hand while trying to subdue Huber.
Defense attorney Guss Markwell gave the judge some background on Huber that was intended as explanation, and not as an excuse for his actions.
He said Huber requires medication every four hours or he doesn’t always act rationally. When he was let out of jail, he was not given the prescription medication and resorted to amphetamines, Markwell said.
"He was out of his mind" when he ran from the hospital, Markwell said, adding that giving Huber the high end of the sentencing range won’t accomplish anything.
Huber gave the judge a long, rambling statement, which included him reading a letter explaining his actions. He insisted that he didn’t intend to injure anyone and is sorry he didn’t testify at his trial and tell his story to the jury.
"I think the most important thing is that I’m not a monster," Huber told Wynne.
Wynne said Huber’s mental state and need for drugs is not an excuse for his actions, and sentenced him to the top end of the sentencing range.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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