CLEARFIELD – A Houtzdale man who assaulted a state trooper using his own name plate was sentenced in Clearfield County Court on Monday.
Police say they were called to a Coalport residence on June 28 for a complaint of a man named Lance being in a Main Street apartment.
When police arrived, they saw a man and woman walking from the area of the call.
One of the troopers asked the man his name. The man said “Lance” and took a step back, saying he did not have any identification.
After he was told there was a report of him trespassing at the residence, he became defensive and reached toward his back pocket.
He was then told to keep his hands out of his pocket, but he related at that time that he was reaching for his ID.
He reached again, got his wallet and then handed the officer a PA ID card identifying him a Lance Nathan Henico, 37. As the officer put the ID in his own pocket, the man took an aggressive posture.
For their safety, the trooper said they were going to place him into investigative detention. When the trooper reached for his wrist, Henico yelled “for what?” He then ran away.
The second trooper was able to tackle him and Henico continued to resist as he was handcuffed.
Prior to transporting him, they found a clear baggie with suspected methamphetamine residue in his pocket.
The caller told investigators that Henico was at his residence with the woman who is permitted to stay with him.
The woman confirmed she was allowed to stay at the caller’s residence and explained Henico is her fiancé.
While he was being questioned at the police station, a trooper reported that Henico ripped his name tag off his chest and intentionally stabbed him in the right hand with the prongs on it.
Henico pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated assault, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia before President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman.
His defense attorney, Steven Johnston noted that Henico could have bargained down to a simple assault charge instead of agreeing to the felony count of aggravated assault.
He also noted Henico has been in the county jail since the end of June.
Johnston asked Ammerman to consider Henico’s time spent in incarceration already and his willingness to agree to the more serious charge. He asked for a county sentence.
It was noted that for this crime Henico was also facing a sentence for violating his state parole.
Ammerman said he was satisfied with a county sentence in these circumstances.
Henico was then sentenced to nine months to two years less one day in the county jail, along with one-year consecutive probation.