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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend March 31, 2006 Man gets 15 years for shooting at cops Conan James Lapping, 24, was sentenced under heavy security for his actions in a police pursuit last August By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Amid heavy courthouse security, a man who shot at police during a wild car chase last summer was sentenced Thursday to serve 15 years in prison. Hands chained to his waist and legs shackled, Conan James Lapping, 24, appeared Thursday before Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Crain. Lapping pleaded no contest to charges that he tried to kill pursuing Oregon State Police troopers in the August incident. Ten Jackson County sheriff’s deputies ringed the courtroom, a standard precaution considering Lapping’s charges, said sheriff’s Capt. Rod Countryman. Spectators at the sentencing were required to pass through a portable metal detector at the courtroom door. Lapping and 23-year-old Jonathan Tomsson Hench on Aug. 26 led OSP on a chase from Foothills Boulevard in Grants Pass to East Evans Creek Road in Rogue River The duo’s stolen white Lincoln sped away from troopers at about 7:45 p.m. and, at one point, intentionally crashed into an unmarked OSP Chevrolet Blazer. Advertisement "The defendant fired multiple shots at the pursuing officers," Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston told the court. The chase ended when the Lincoln approached a house in the 5200 block of East Evans Creek Road, listed in court files as Lapping’s residence. Two troopers opened fire on Lapping and Hench with semi-automatic rifles as the fugitives approached the home. A grand jury later ruled the troopers were justified in shooting. Lapping and Hench barricaded themselves inside the house and later slipped past police, who waited outside for about five hours. Lapping was arrested the next day in Crescent City, Calif. Hench surrendered at the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office that afternoon. Before hearing his sentence, Lapping characterized the crime as "bad decisions." In exchange for Lapping’s pleas to five counts of attempted aggravated murder, unauthorized use of a vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm, Huddleston agreed to dismiss 10 other charges in connection with the chase and dropped a separate count of delivering meth. A plea of no contest has the same effect as a guilty plea. Lapping has been serving a California sentence for illegally possessing a firearm at the time of his August arrest. His Oregon sentence starts when the California term expires. Hench rejected the district attorney’s plea offer and awaits trial, Huddleston said. If convicted, he could face in excess of 50 years in prison. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail Man gets 15 years for shooting at cops ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s