Man Accused Of Shooting Valley Brook Police Officer Pleads Guilty

<p>A man accused of shooting a Valley Brook police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

Wednesday, July 12th 2017, 10:13 pm

By: News 9


A man accused of shooting a Valley Brook police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday.

Cory Hartsell pleaded guilty to all six counts against him and is set to spend 30 years in prison.

Valley Brook police officer Brian Southerland said he thinks that's fair.

It's been about six months since Southerland made the traffic stop that would change his life near Eastern and Interstate 240.

Southerland said he tries not to think about that day.

“That day was unfortunate, what happened to me. But through a long period of six months of recovering, I just want to get on with life,” he explained.

Hartsell's gunfire hit a main artery in Southerland's leg.

Since then, he's had multiple surgeries and persevered through months of physical therapy.

Southerland is back on duty now.

He credits his faith, family and friends for helping him get to this point.

Now, with Hartsell's sentence, the case has finally come to a close.

“I’m glad the justice system worked,” he told News 9.

And Southerland is looking forward to the future.

“I’m glad all that is behind me and I can move forward now. It’s a new chapter,” he said. 

Hartsell was convicted of three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unauthorized use of a vehicle, trafficking methamphetamine and a felon in possession of a firearm. 

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

July 12th, 2017

March 22nd, 2024

March 14th, 2024

February 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024