District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington announced Feb. 7 that Darrell Derone Small of Clarence has been sentenced to 22 years in prison by the 10TH Judicial District Court.
Small was convicted in October 2017 of one count of aggravated obstruction of a highway of commerce. The District Attorney’s office filed to have Small be considered as a habitual offender, which was granted by Judge LaLa Sylvester, which enhanced the sentence.
The August 2014 incident to which Small was convicted involved Small intentionally crashing his vehicle into a police vehicle while attempting to evade capture from law enforcement. The crash injured three law enforcement officers who were occupants of the vehicle. At the time of the incident, the United States Marshal Fugitive Task Force was previously notified by Texas authorities that Small was a fugitive from Texas and was in the Natchitoches area.
Assistant District Attorney Loren Lampert prosecuted the case.
“This conviction and sentence are evidence that we recognize the serious dangers that these law enforcement officers faced when enforcing the law to keep our community safe,” stated Lampert.
Harrington said, “The seriousness of this crime and the risk the defendant posed to the public safety dictated our action in this case. Our law enforcement officers risk their lives every day for our safety and for the benefit of the entire community.”
The following is a page from the October 2017 Natchitoches Times outlining the details of the case:
