BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) An eastern Illinois man was sentenced to 44 years in prison for assaulting a state trooper during a traffic stop. Randy M. Turner, of Danville, was pulled over in May 2022 for driving over 100 mph (161 kph) on Interstate 55 near Chenoa, northeast of Bloomington, The Pantagraph reported. Prosecutors had played dashboard camera video that showed Turner tackling Illinois state Trooper Matthew Niehaus, sending the officer to the ground, and punching him. Turner, who was sentenced Thursday, was found guilty in March of disarming a peace officer and several other counts. Turner admitted to smoking PCP, a powerful psychedelic drug, authorities said. The trooper, Niehaus, testified he suffered fractured vertebrae. Turner apologized to Niehaus in court and said he was not in the right state of mind. "I didn't have control like I have control now," Turner said.
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