Man who led law enforcement on long chase gets 55 years
Allan Hawley, 53, was sentenced to 55 years in prison for a February police chase.
A Cottonwood Shores man who led law enforcement on a chase through Marble Falls in February before crashing into a Marble Falls patrol vehicle in the Chick-fil-A parking lot on U.S. 281 will have up to 55 years to think about his actions.
A Burnet County jury on August 20 convicted 53-year-old Allan Wayne Hawley of evading arrest with a motor vehicle after a two-day trial during which the defendant represented himself. The jury recommended a 55-year prison term, which State District Judge Allan Garrett sentenced Hawley to serve.
On February 12, a Burnet County deputy tried to pull over Hawley, who was driving a red Ducati motorcycle in Marble Falls, after observing him commit a number of traffic violations. The driver led the deputy and other law enforcement officers on a chase through residential and business areas, risking the lives of himself, the officers, and other people, according to a Burnet County District Attorney’s Office media release.
The chase ended when Hawley, still trying to flee from authorities, raced into the Chick-fil-A parking lot and struck a Marble Falls police vehicle.
In recommending the 55-year sentence, the jury took into consideration Hawley’s extensive criminal background in Texas and California as well as federal convictions for bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Due to his past crimes, the jury was able to sentence Hawley as a habitual defender with a punishment of 25-99 years in prison. Typically, evading arrest with a motor vehicle is punishable by two to 10 years in prison.
Since the jury determined Hawley used his motorcycle as a deadly weapon in the commission of the crime, he must serve at least half of the 55-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Burnet County assistant district attorneys Amanda Dillon and Erin Toolan prosecuted the case. They praised the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office, the Marble Falls Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety for their efforts in protecting residents while still apprehending the suspect.
“We are very lucky no one was injured by Mr. Hawley’s actions,” Dillon stated in a media release. “Law enforcement did exactly what they were trained to do, and they protected a lot of people that night. The jury made the right decision to send Mr. Hawley back to prison, and we are all safer for it.”