Prosecutors say there was evidence that 45 year old Lawrence Auston was high on PCP while driving.
During a traffic stop, the jury heard that Auston tried to strangle the officer then repeatedly struck, kicked, and dragged the officer.
It took several other officers to get Auston into handcuffs.
This was one of three incidents where jury heard it took multiple officers to place Auston in custody while under the influence of PCP.
During the sentencing phase, Auston was declared to be a habitual offender due to a criminal history that includes burglary of a habitation and evidence tampering.
Prosecutors say the officer who was assaulted four years ago testified at the trial, and he remains a member of the Bryan police department.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
On Thursday, March 30, 2023, Judge David Hilburn of the 361st District Court sentenced Lawrence Auston to 45 years in prison for the offense of Assault of a Peace Officer. A Brazos County jury convicted the defendant on Wednesday of the charge.
In March 2019, a Bryan Police Officer observed the defendant fail to signal a turn and exhibit signs that he was driving while intoxicated. When the officer approached the defendant’s vehicle, he immediately noticed the odor of PCP, a dangerous drug, coming from the defendant’s truck.
When the officer began to place the defendant under arrest for having no driver’s license, the defendant began resisting arrest and refused to cooperate with the officer. The officer repeatedly tried to calm the defendant down, but he refused to cooperate. The defendant pulled away from the officer and dove back into his truck in an attempt to flee. The officer refused to let him drive away and entered the vehicle. The defendant then wrapped his arm around the officer’s head and attempted to strangle him. Over the next several minutes, the defendant repeatedly struck, kicked, and dragged the officer across the ground. The officer called for backup to this assault.
At the time of the assault, the majority of Bryan officers on duty were involved in rescuing a woman from a submerged vehicle wreck and were also involved in assisting the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office in the pursuit of a criminal suspect.
When the first backup officer arrived on scene, he saw the defendant on top of the original officer, in the process of actively strangling him. It required several additional officers to get the defendant into handcuffs after he was pulled off of the original officer.
During punishment, prosecutors presented evidence that after being released on bond for Assault on a Peace Officer, the defendant was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated while high on PCP. In that case, an independent witness reported that the defendant was intoxicated and was driving the wrong way down North Harvey Mitchell Parkway. When officers attempted to draw his blood pursuant to a search warrant, it took five officers to subdue the defendant.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that while on bond, the defendant broke into a stranger’s home during the middle of the day. The defendant fled when the female household member called 911. She reported that the suspect appeared under the influence of some substance. Officers contacted the defendant walking up Texas Ave. The defendant was publicly intoxicated on PCP and created a disturbance in the parking lot of a local restaurant. It ultimately required a total of seven officers to take the defendant safely into custody. During the struggle to place the defendant in custody, the defendant attempted to grab one of the officer’s firearm.
The defendant has a lengthy criminal history and two prior prison sentences for Burglary of a Habitation and Tampering with Evidence, making him a habitual felon.
Assistant District Attorneys Anjelica Harris and Jessica Escue issued the following statement: “We ask law enforcement to protect and serve our community by running towards dangerous situations and individuals. When fulfillment of that duty results in them being intentionally harmed, our community must respond to protect them.”