WPRO News and the Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to more than a year in prison for an assault on a Rhode Island police officer that left him permanently disabled.
The Providence Journal reports a judge sentenced 37-year-old Mario Souto, of Sharon, Massachusetts, on Tuesday to three years in prison with 15 months to serve and the remainder of the term suspended with probation.
Prosecutors say Souto assaulted Pawtucket police officer Michael Lajoie in May 2012 after Lajoie approached a vehicle he was in.
Prosecutors say Souto fled the car and when Lajoie tried to take him into custody, Souto initiated a fight that left Lajoie with injuries that have ended his law enforcement career.
The judge denied a request by Souto’s lawyer that he be released on bail pending an appeal.
