An Augusta County man blames drug use and "bad decisions" for a chaotic high-speed chase last February. Wednesday Clint Wayne Tribble pleaded guilty to felony charges that could have spelled up to 110 years in prison.
Wednesday afternoon, Tribble said, "I'm not the monster the media's made me out to be." But he offered his "deepest apologies" to Augusta County Deputy Joey Good, who dove out of the way of Tribble's pickup truck as it bore down on him.
Tribble said he'd never want to hurt someone in law enforcement.
The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to felony eluding, unlawful wounding, and five counts of grand larceny. Augusta deputies were trying to arrest Tribble on the larceny charges in February, when he led them on a pursuit near Greenville.
Seconds after one deputy avoided being struck by Tribble's pickup, another officer fired shots into his back tire. Tribble's defense attorney says the whole episode spiraled out of control, and was his client's attempt at suicide.
The prosecution made a joint recommendation to the Augusta County judge, that Tribble serve a prison term of three years. The judge agreed.
Tribble will also have to pay restitution for the stolen items, roughly $3,000.
