Cassandra Casucci (69th Judicial District Attorney”s Office (Tex.))
A Texas woman will spend a few years behind bars for an altercation with a police officer, authorities recently announced.
Earlier this week, a jury in Moore County found Cassandra Leann Casucci, 35, guilty of assaulting a peace officer. She received a five-year prison sentence for the offense.
The incident took place on January 24, according to the 69th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which handles cases in the sparsely-populated panhandle region of the Lone Star State.
On that particular day, officers were called to address a disturbance in a store parking lot, reported by Amarillo-based CBS affiliate KFDA. A witness at the scene stated they had previous intimidating encounters with Casucci, according to police.
Casucci had her two young children with her during the confrontation. However, their presence did not diffuse the situation amid the cold conditions that day.
Officers requested Casucci’s identification, but she refused to comply, as reported by the police. Following her refusal, the officers detected a marijuana odor from her car and proceeded to detain her and her children.
That’s when the defendant grew aggressive, police say.
A brief physical altercation took place as Casucci pushed a Dumas Police Department sergeant. Ultimately, she was brought to the ground. During the struggle, Casucci attempted to strike the sergeant, succeeding with a kick to his head.
During the abbreviated melee, Casucci variously taunted the police officer, according to law enforcement. At one point she said “catch me on the streets without that badge” and warned him that he would “be eating dirt soon.”
The woman also told the sergeant he was “going down for this.”
But in the end, the defendant caught the fell blow of the incident – despite testifying during trial that the clash was unintentional.
Under Texas law, Casucci faced a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for the crime.
The defendant is also charged with one count of criminal mischief and a marijuana-related charge, both of which were filed in late February, Moore County court records show.
Law&Crime reached out to authorities in the 69th Judicial District for additional details on this story but no response was immediately forthcoming at the time of publication.
