Burnet County man gets 30 years for felony evasion, collision
Richard Spradling was arrested on Jan. 3, 2022, on charges of evading arrest and colliding with a Burnet city employee while driving a vehicle he was unauthorized to operate. He pleaded guilty to several of the crimes on Oct. 7, resulting in a 30-year prison sentence. Courtesy photo
Richard Spradling of Burnet County was sentenced to 30 years in prison for a series of crimes in January that ultimately led to a collision with a county employee while Spradling was evading arrest in a vehicle he was unauthorized to operate. He was 23 years old at the time.
Spradling’s sentence was the result of a deal cut with the Burnet County District Attorney’s Office in which he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, and one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle.
According to Assistant District Attorney Tiffany Clark, Spradling was first arrested and charged with evading arrest in 2021 and bonded out of jail. He was then arrested again for evading arrest while out on bond, and a higher bond was set. He bonded out again and was ultimately arrested a third time on Jan. 3, 2022.
“He was getting out on bond and picking up on offenses, and it became clear to me that he was a danger to the community and to law enforcement,” said Clark, who prosecuted Spradling’s case.
Spradling pleaded guilty and took the deal presented by Clark on Oct. 7. He will have to serve at least 15 years of his 30-year sentence due to the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a second-degree felony that, on its own, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
The weapon in question was the vehicle that Spradling was driving and the assault was his collision with a Burnet County employee while fleeing from law enforcement.
“We have the option to make plea offers and avoid trial,” Clark told DailyTrib.com. “I was thankful that he was willing to admit that he took these actions.”