Erica Montgomery, a 47-year-old from Sedona, Arizona, has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for her violent confrontation with a police officer in 2023. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, Montgomery was pulled over for running a red light and was discovered to have a suspended license plate. The incident escalated when she became verbally aggressive and refused to exit her vehicle, leading to her assaulting the officer with a crowbar.
The Yavapai County Attorney's Office stated the officer involved was asked to remove the suspended plate for safety reasons, to which Montgomery would not comply and attempted to roll up her car window and lock herself inside. During the ensuing struggle, it's reported she punched the officer in the chest multiple times and struck them in the head with the crowbar, resulting in a concussion. A second officer was also injured when they came to assist.
At the trial held earlier this year, Montgomery was found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer, among other charges. AZ Family detailed that investigators found the crowbar on the ground next to Montgomery's car after her arrest. Montgomery, who did not appear on the final day of her trial, necessitating an issued arrest warrant, faced a jury that convicted her on two counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer and one count of resisting arrest.
Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane expressed his views on the sentencing, saying, "I hope this decade-plus prison sentence sends a clear message that it is never okay to commit a crime of violence," as reported by AZ Family. McGrane emphasized the importance of community safety, including for those who serve it, declaring that "everyone in Yavapai County has the right to go to work without fear of being assaulted." After her prison term, Montgomery is to serve three years of supervised probation.
