Apr. 15—A 32-year-old man accused of stealing a front-end loader and threatening police officers with it in October 2023 was sentenced to 15 years in prison last week after pleading guilty to aggravated assault against a peace officer.
Midland District Attorney Glenn Harwood said Jeramiah David Hall will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence. He was also given credit for the 530 days he spent in jail awaiting the resolution of his case.
According to a University of Texas Permian Basin report, Hall tried to enter the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center on Oct. 21, 2023, but because he didn’t have a ticket, he was asked to leave.
About an hour later, police saw him near the engineering building and he ran away when officers approached him.
Just after 10:00 pm officers noticed a large front-end loader tractor coming through the parking lot. The suspect then drove the tractor onto Highway 191 and struck UTPB and Odessa Police Department vehicles, the report stated.
According to the report, Hall ignored commands to stop and purposely drove the tractor toward officers. Five UTPB officers shot their firearms toward Hall, who sustained multiple wounds. Officers administered first-aid, and Hall was taken the hospital in critical condition.