'Did he just get 30 years?' #NativeLivesMatter
Micah Taylor, 20, headed to prison after guilty plea
A judge in Nebraska sentenced a 20-year-old Santee Sioux man to 30-50 years for assaulting an officer during an encounter in March 2018 that ended with the young Native man getting shot in the neck.
In explaining his decision to give Micah Taylor nearly the maximum sentence of 50 years, Douglas County District Court Judge Thomas A. Otepka said the officer who was injured in the encounter suffered shoulder injuries and had to undergo both rotator cuff and hip surgery. The officer continues to undergo physical therapy.
“It resulted in injuries that resulted in surgery,” the judge said of the incident.
Otepka also sentenced Taylor to 1-2 years for fleeing arrest.
![](https://www.indianz.com/News/2018/04/05/micahtaylorjohnpappanrudimitchell.jpg)
His mother, DeAnna Taylor, gasped when the verdict was read. “Did he just get 30 years?” she said, before crying. As part of his guilty plea, Taylor admitted to having sold a half-pound of marijuana to another man prior to his arrest on March 8, 2018. Not long after that marijuana sale, Staskiewicz stopped Taylor as he drove his Toyota Camry in north Omaha following. Taylor has said he was driving to pick up his spiritual adviser to go to a sweat lodge. According to Omaha police, the city’s gang unit had conducted surveillance on Taylor, whom they suspected of dealing marijuana and possessing firearms. Around 2:15 p.m. that day, they saw Taylor sell marijuana and a helicopter unit and an officer in a marked cruiser followed him. Around 2:30 p.m., the officer pulled him over on an interstate in north Omaha. The arresting officer asked Taylor for his license, registration and insurance, but Taylor initially refused. He eventually handed over the items, and the officer then asked him to step out of his car. Again, police say, Taylor refused. Staskiewicz then opened Taylor’s car door and tried to pull him out, but Taylor struggled to pull away from him, according to police. While holding Taylor’s arm, the officer stepped back and drew his gun. Taylor then began driving away, which led to the officer being pulled alongside his vehicle, according to police. The officer then fired three rounds as he was being dragged and fell to the ground. Taylor, injured, drove south on the interstate with gang unit officers in pursuit until he struck stop sticks laid out by another Omaha officer. The sticks caused him to lose control of his car, and it struck a concrete median and came to rest in a shoulder area.An Omaha judge just sentenced 20-year-old Santee Sioux man Micah Taylor to 30 to 50 years for assaulting an officer following an April 2017 incident in which he was pulled over and shot by Omaha police officer attempting to arrest him for selling marijuana. pic.twitter.com/r0n7fS58uf
— KevinAbourezk (@Kevin_Abourezk) September 9, 2019
![](https://www.indianz.com/News/2018/05/14/nativerallyyouth.jpg)
![](https://www.indianz.com/News/2018/04/05/deannataylor.jpg)
The judge today focused heavily on the injuries sustained by the officer, rather than Micah’s injuries, and sentenced Micah to the maximum penalty on the assault charge. He will be eligible for parole in 15 years.
— KevinAbourezk (@Kevin_Abourezk) September 9, 2019
Micah’s mother, DeAnna Taylor, gasped as the sentence was given and said: “Did he just get 30 years?”
— KevinAbourezk (@Kevin_Abourezk) September 9, 2019
#NativeLivesMatter
Native Americans are more likely to be killed by law enforcement than any other racial or ethnic group, according to the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice.Join the Conversation
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