A 56-year-old Arizona man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a 2023 traffic stop, authorities say.
In February 2023, a border agent stopped Michael Leroy Witt near Sonoita on suspicion that he was transporting migrants, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona said in a news release.
Witt initially stopped and tried to wave the agent past him.
When the agent tried to turn off the vehicle from the driverβs side window, Witt punched the gas pedal while the agent was still hanging onto the car window, the release said.
The agent was dragged as the vehicle veered into the oncoming lane of traffic. The agent was eventually able to turn the vehicle off and bring it to a stop, the release said.
Two migrants were found hidden in the back seat, the release said.
Witt was convicted in July of assault on a federal officer, conspiracy to transport migrants for profit and transportation of migrants for profit, the release said.
Witt was sentenced last week in Tucson federal court by U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker to 120 months in prison.
