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Azle man sentenced to 13 years for evading arrest

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From the Parker County District Attorney's Office

A 33-year-old Azle man who pled guilty to his sixth evading arrest conviction was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Thursday, Feb. 25, for fleeing from members of Parker County sheriff’s deputies who were trying to arrest him for a parole violation warrant last June.

Christopher Earl Cotton entered a guilty plea the prior Monday to a charge of evading arrest enhanced with a prior evading arrest conviction and elected to have District Judge Graham Quisenberry assess his punishment.

When members of the Parker County Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (FAST) were approaching the residence where Cotton was located last June, he took off running out of the back door and into a wooded area, according to Assistant District Attorney Abby Placke, who tried the case for the prosecution. With the help of local residents who pointed out the direction Cotton was running and jumping over fences, deputies were able to locate and arrest him shortly thereafter.

“This was Mr. Cotton’s seventh felony and 19th overall conviction,” Placke said.  “We introduced judgments showing that he had convictions for five evading arrests,  three assaults, burglary, resisting arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, two drug offenses, burglary, theft, criminal trespass, and two failure to identify offenses.  He has strongly established a pattern of criminal activity over the last 15 years and deserved a lengthy sentence.”

“Mr. Cotton will be eligible for parole in four years,” said Assistant District Attorney Jeff Swain.  “Just being eligible, however, does not mean that you will necessarily be released – that is up to the Board of Pardons and paroles.”

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