Man Sentenced To 15 Years For Hitting Officer With Car

WORCESTER, MA—A Worcester man was sentenced to 15 years in state prison on Thursday for driving into an Auburn Police officer with his SUV as he fled police in February, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr.

Matthew Ostrander, 48, pleaded guilty to 11 charges, including aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, leaving the scene of personal injury, operating to endanger and resisting arrest. He also pleaded guilty to a breaking and entering in the daytime charge related to the break-in of a home in Millbury that led to the police chase. Ostrander was also classified as a habitual offender, which requires he serves a minimum 15-year sentence on the aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon charge and a minimum 10-year sentence on the breaking and entering charge, said the DA.

Police originally searched for Ostrander on Feb. 11, 2017, after a woman came home to find a man running from her house. Millbury officers pursued him into Auburn, where Officer Luis Santos placed stop sticks in the path of Ostrander’s vehicle. Ostrander drove around the stop sticks and struck the officer. Officer Santos remained hospitalized after the crash for six days and remains out of work due to his injuries, according to the DA.

Ostrander also pleaded guilty to two charges of receiving stolen property, malicious destruction of property, possession of a firearm and possession of a loaded firearm. Worcester Superior Court Judge Richard T. Tucker sentenced Ostrander to the 15 years in state prison as well as three years of supervised probation to include drug and mental health evaluations and treatment, to remain drug free and to stay away from all victims.

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