A US man has been jailed for 40 years after rejecting a plea bargain that would have won him his freedom immediately.
Raymond Lindsey Jr, 46, was adamant he was not guilty and refused to accept a plea deal, insisting that he was the victim of a conspiracy.
He was jailed by Judge Phil Grant after being convicted by jurors of assaulting a public servant and retaliation in Montgomery County, north of Houston, Texas, local media reported.
His lawyer stated that he had already been in jail 19 months and would have been released with “time served” if he pleaded guilty.
While Lindsey was said to have been appreciative of the deal, he did not want to plead guilty and thought everyone was conspiring against him.
The court heard that police were called to an apartment in Southeastern Montgomery County on January 5, 2015, to a possible domestic disturbance.
Officers encountered an aggressive Lindsey and his scared girlfriend, the court was told.
When Lindsey’s girlfriend made to leave the apartment, Lindsey allegedly pointed a finger at each of the officers one by one and individually threatened to kill them before destroying items inside the flat in a rage.
As he was arrested he slammed a door on the arm of a police officer several times, the court heard.
The jury found Lindsey guilty of both charges.
The court heard he had previously served time jail for car theft, burglary and domestic violence.
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