Austin man who struck, injured Travis County deputy with car sentenced to 10 years in prison
AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin man pled guilty Thursday to charges stemming from an incident where he struck and seriously injured a Travis County Sheriff's deputy with his car in June.
Preston Marcel Molina, 25, was sentenced to ten years in prison for aggravated assault of a public servant and evading arrest in a vehicle.
(Courtesy of the Travis County Sheriff's Office)
In June, Molina was visiting with his probation officer at the Travis County Adult Probation Office in North Austin. Upon learning he was going to be arrested for an outstanding warrant, Molina ran out of the building and got in his car in the parking lot.
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Deputies chased him, and while trying to flee, Molina hit Senior Deputy Richard Millers with his car sending him in the air and causing serious injuries to his leg and lower body.
Millers, a 10-year-veteran of the Sheriff’s office and member of the SWAT team, was then taken to the hospital.
Several deputies chased after Molina's car, which had to stop due to oncoming traffic and held him at gunpoint. Molina's grandfather, who was also in the car, removed the keys from the ignition and stopped the vehicle.
Millers has since recovered from his injuries and has returned to work.