Guthrie gets 15 years for shooting at police

A Jackson man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday for his actions during a June 2012 confrontation with police.

Lawrence Guthrie, 48, pleaded guilty in November to three counts of assault on a law enforcement officer.

He was accused of engaging in a shootout with police, who responded to a report of domestic violence at his home in a Jackson subdivision on June 13, 2012.

Judge Benjamin Lewis sentenced Guthrie to 15 years on each count, with the sentences running concurrently. Had he decided to give Guthrie a longer sentence, Guthrie could have withdrawn his plea, his lawyer, Bryan Greaser, said in November.

Guthrie, a Gulf War veteran and former Marine, has said he was taking several medications for post-traumatic stress disorder at the time and has no memory of the events of that day.

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped earlier charges of domestic assault and armed criminal action stemming from the same event and capped Guthrie's sentence at 15 years.

Lewis rejected a similar plea attempt in February 2014 after Guthrie appeared to have trouble understanding some of the proceedings and expressed doubt about both his guilt and the likelihood of conviction.

At the time, Guthrie seemed particularly troubled by allegations he had shot at officers, saying his background as a Marine rifle instructor made it unlikely he would have missed, had he actually tried to hit someone from 100 to 150 yards away.

"I understand that I fired the rifle. Whether I actually shot at him, I doubt," he said. "I know I'm responsible for my actions, so I'm here. ... For me to say I would have shot at him and not hit him would be ridiculous."

At several points during the February 2014 proceeding, Guthrie expressed uncertainty about the likelihood of conviction but insisted he wanted to plead guilty rather than risk going to trial and potentially receiving a longer sentence.

Concerns about pretrial publicity in the wake of the failed plea prompted Lewis to order a change of venue, moving the case to New Madrid County.

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