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Show Lay ton teen gets prison sentence By GARY R. BLODGETT FARMINGTON --"A prison sentence sen-tence of from one to 15 years has been handed down on an 18-year-old Layton man who had earlier pleaded guilty to burglary of a convenience con-venience store and shooting at a Utah State Hipway "Patrol officer during an escape attempt. Second District Judge Rodney S. Page sentenced Michael K. Polete, 610 East 20th North, Layton, to concurrentcprison terms but stipulated stipu-lated that he serve a minimum of six years of the combined terms before being eligible for parole. Judge Page was also ready to impose im-pose an added five years' enhancement enhance-ment for the use of a firearm in the process of a crime but rescinded the sentence when he learned that the enhancement provision had been dropped during plea bargaining negotiations. ne-gotiations. Polete is one of- two young men charged in the Aug. 8 burglary and shooting incident Co-defendant Jared Valentine, a neighbor to " Polete, has pleaded guilty to thirds-degree thirds-degree felony charges of burglary and failure to stop at the command of a police officer. Both were originally charged with attempted murder but pleaded ' guilty to the lesser charges during plea bargaining. Polete was given the stiff consecutive conse-cutive term sentence after Judge Page cited Polete's juvenile record to include 18 burglary, theft and related re-lated charges. But the judge also took into consideration the defen dant's young age - 17 years old at the time the crimes were committed - and ordered the sentences to run concurrently. The pair admitted that they tried to flee from UHP Trooper John Mitchell during the early morning of Aug. 8 after being stopped on Hjghway 193 for a routine traffic violation. - During the chase, at least three shotgun blasts were fired, striking the front of Trooper Mitchell's patrol pa-trol car. The front, windshield was pelted, the rear window was blown out, and the radiator was damaged. Trooper Mitchell was Struck by flying fly-ing glass and debris but suffered only minor injuries. . a . Valentine is undergoing 90 days of mental evaluation and is scheduled sche-duled for sentencing on March 7. |