Arizona woman sentenced for hitting police officer in the head with a crowbar

SEDONA, Ariz. (TCN) -- A 47-year-old woman will spend over a decade behind bars for assaulting a police officer with a crowbar during a traffic stop.

Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane announced that on July 28, a judge sentenced Erica Montgomery to 10.5 years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument committed against a peace officer. She will also have to serve three years of supervised probation following her release for two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and one count of resisting arrest.

According to the attorney's office, on Nov. 3, 2023, a Sedona Police officer pulled Montgomery over for running a red light because her license plate was suspended. Prosecutors said she "became verbally aggressive." Due to Arizona law, the officer is supposed to collect the suspended license plate. The officer reportedly asked the defendant to exit her car, but she "refused and attempted to roll up her window and lock the door."

Per the attorney's office, Montgomery punched the officer in the chest numerous times and then hit him in the head with a crowbar. She also allegedly injured another law enforcement official who came to help. Authorities recovered a crowbar on the ground near Montgomery's vehicle that had fallen out during the assault. According to prosecutors, the first police officer suffered a concussion from the attack.

In a statement, Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said, "I hope this decade-plus prison sentence sends a clear message that it is never okay to commit a crime of violence. It should go without saying that police officers are members of our Yavapai County community, and everyone in Yavapai County has the right to go to work without fear of being assaulted."

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