Anthony James Graham was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday, for a crime he committed mere months earlier.
The 30-year-old man from Midway with a colourful criminal past, pleaded guilty to possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a loaded, restricted firearm, possession of a loaded, non-restricted firearm, possession of a prohibited device and resisting arrest.
All charges related to a Jan. 6 incident that made headlines because of Graham’s alleged attempt to assault a police officer.
Shortly after 2 p.m. that day, a Kelowna RCMP officer in a marked police vehicle stopped a black Mercedes SUV in the 2300-block of Hunter Road, said Const. Jesse O’Donaghey, in a press release.
The driver of the Mercedes was identified and found to be in breach of a court-ordered driving ban related to a conditional sentence.
“When confronted by the officer and advised he was under arrest, (the driver) forced open his door, grabbed a duffel bag from the passenger seat and fled on foot,” said O’Donaghey.
“The officer pursued the suspect on foot and with the assistance of bystanders was able to place him in handcuffs. It is alleged that during his arrest the suspect kicked at the officer and grabbed at her.
“The officer sustained minor injuries and continues to be on full duty.”
More than 360 grams of illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin and crystal meth, were found in the duffle bag, along with a loaded .22 calibre hand gun with extra magazines, a hunting knife, a silicone mask, a silencer, break-in tools and more than $2,200 in cash.
Police later used a warrant to search the suspect’s vehicle and found an assault rifle, a drum magazine, soft body armour and a sledge hammer.
The police publicly issued a thanks to the bystanders who helped and protected the officer during the arrest.