DAVENPORT, Iowa – A 21-year-old Davenport man has been found guilty of attempted murder.
Logan Shoemaker wiped tears from his eyes when the jury’s verdict was read. Shoemaker was on trial for the September 2017 crash that left Buffalo Police Chief TJ Behning seriously injured.
Previous reports indicate that Shoemaker had been on a high-speed chase with police, ultimately ending with a garbage truck plowing into Chief Behning’s squad vehicle.
In court on Wednesday, June 27th, Chief Behning testified about the day of the crash. Recalling that day, he told the court he had heard a call about a pursuit heading toward Buffalo, Iowa.
“I left the station and went to the city limits of Davenport just to see if they’d come that direction,” Chief Behning said.
He told the court he was standing behind his vehicle, ready with stop sticks.
“As soon as it got close, I threw the sticks, hit where I wanted them to, looked up and my Tahoe basically exploded,” he said.
The chief told the court that he sustained a multitude of injuries and has since undergone about 15 surgeries. He was treated in Iowa City for nearly a month-and-a-half before being transferred to a local hospital and later deciding to continue his recovery at home.
“The main injury I’m dealing with now is a nerve injury,” he said. He explained that he wakes up every morning with “extreme pain.”
Shoemaker took the stand as well, saying that he did not intend to run into Chief Behning’s vehicle.
“I was trying to get away and hitting the squad car would have disabled my truck that I was in,” said Shoemaker. Shoemaker told the court that an addiction to meth was keeping him on the run from police.
“I was trying not to get caught, I wasn`t ready to give up my addiction,” he said. But he said after the chase was over, he was relieved.
The prosecution and defense said the main argument in this trial was about whether Shoemaker intended to cause harm to Chief Behning.
Jurors deliberated Thursday for more than four hours. Shoemaker was found guilty of attempted murder as well as three other charges: eluding, willful injury causing a serious injury and first-degree robbery. Shoemaker was found not guilty to another charge he was facing, serious injury by vehicle.
Before the trial, Shoemaker pleaded guilty to eight other charges against him. Those included two counts of second-degree theft, stalking with a dangerous weapon, three counts of second-degree criminal mischief, assault with a dangerous weapon, and fourth-degree criminal mischief.
Sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, August 9
