Wyatt man sentenced to assault of trooper

CHARLESTON -- A Wyatt man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for assaulting a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper.

Following the state's recommendation, Circuit Judge David Dolan sentenced Lonnie McCain, 41, on Tuesday to 15 years for the felony charge of first degree assault on a law enforcement officer.

He was also sentenced to one year each, to run concurrently, on the two misdemeanors, driving while intoxicated and driving with a revoked license.

"I think that the jury and the court sent a strong message to any individual who thinks they can assault a law enforcement officer," said Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd.

McCain was convicted by a Mississippi County jury on a change of venue in September.

The charges are from May 31 when Kyle Wilmont, a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, stopped a vehicle driven by McCain just west of Main Street on Malone Avenue in Sikeston for suspicion of an intoxicated driver.

The officer reportedly detected an odor of alcohol on McCain's breath and noticed his speech was slurred. Wilmont also spotted open containers of beer in the car along with an unconscious passenger.

A number of field sobriety tests indicated to the trooper the McCain was impaired.

McCain initially provided a false name, Larry McCain, and a false Social Security number. The vehicle checked back to Lonnie McCain along with physical identifiers including a scar on his arm, however, and McCain admitted his true identity.

When Wilmont told McCain to turn around for the handcuffs, McCain placed his hands in his pants and said he had to urinate.

The trooper grabbed McCain's arm at which time McCain began to strike the officer to escape.

McCain continued to fight and resist until subdued with the help of Lt. Dennis Irwin of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

On the way to the Scott County Jail, McCain offered to be a confidential informant to get out of his charges. Wilmont denied the request.

Upon arriving at the jail, McCain challenged Wilmont to a fight. He also proved he had to use the rest room by urinating on himself.