Man gets prison after hitting detective with vehicle in Post Falls
Zavala
COEUR d’ALENE — A man who had a standoff with police after crashing into a patrol vehicle last summer will spend up to 20 years in prison.
Emanuel V. Zavala, 43, pleaded guilty in August to eluding and assault or battery upon certain personnel, with an aggravated enhancement, both felonies. He also pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender.
First District Judge Ross Pittman sentenced Zavala last week to 20 years in prison with parole eligibility after eight years.
The charges stem from July, when police attempted to stop Zavala in a gas station parking lot in Post Falls. Zavala was wanted on multiple bench warrants related to his sex offender status.
“As one of the detectives got out of their vehicle to contact him, Zavala drove toward the detective, striking the detective and his vehicle,” the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “The detective was able to lunge out of the way, avoiding serious injury.”
The detective was transported to Kootenai Health and cleared with minor injuries to his leg, according to the sheriff’s office.
Police pursued Zavala to a nearby residence, and a standoff ensued. He later exited the residence and surrendered.
Zavala was convicted of “lewd or lascivious act with a child under 14” in California in 2004, according to court records, an offense equivalent to lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16 in Idaho. As such, he was required to register as a sex offender in Idaho.
After Zavala failed to inform his probation officer about changes to his address and employment, he was charged with two counts of providing false information to the sex offender registry, both felonies.
Prosecutors later agreed to dismiss one of the charges and the enhancement in exchange for Zavala’s guilty plea on the remaining charge.
Zavala received a sentence of seven years in prison with parole eligibility after three years, but in accordance with the plea deal, the court retained jurisdiction in the case. As a result, Zavala spent a year in a jail treatment program, called a rider, before the court placed him on supervised probation.
In July, Zavala failed to comply with Idaho’s sex offender registration requirements, prosecutors said, and warrants were issued for his arrest.