Poppiti was escorted out of the courtroom after he was informed of his 25 year prison sentence.
Poppiti was credited 516 days for jail time he had already served waiting for his trial and sentencing.
Poppiti crashed his vehicle into Bell Co. Deputy Sean Pursifull’s parked cruiser after a high-speed police chase led by Kentucky State Police on Jan. 10, 2008, killing Pursifull and his K-9 partner. Of the five counts he was charged with, three were dismissed in the plea, including count two of assault on a service animal in the first degree, count four of speeding 26 mph or greater over the limit, and count five of having no operators license.
The agreement Poppiti signed said that “the defendant wantonly engaged in conduct during the operation of the motor vehicle then under his control which caused the death of Deputy Sean Pursifull under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life and knowingly disobeyed signals to stop his vehicle in an attempt to elude the police.”
Special Judge Roderick Messer addressed Poppiti during the sentencing and commented on the tragedy his actions caused in Bell County.
“The consequences will be felt long after you leave,” Messer told Poppiti. He continued, saying that as Deputy Sean Pursifull’s children grow up, “nobody will be their as their father because of your actions.”
Messer said that while the plea agreement, approved by Pursifull’s mother among other parties, was fair, “it was merciful.”
Messer offered Poppiti several warnings for his future.
Barring any unforeseen incident, “you’ll probably be released in 20 years,” he said. “I hope you remember what happened here and take some action to rectify what you did wrong...”
Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.
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