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Special to the Signal

Harry Larmont McCall, 54, of Hayneville, was sentenced Tuesday, Nov. 28th to 15 years in prison for assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin Sr.

McCall was found guilty of the charge after a trial that took place in June 2017.  There is no parole in the federal prison system.

According to Franklin, at trial, the jury heard testimony that in December of 2015 McCall arrived at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Montgomery Regional Office on Perry Hill Road for a scheduled appointment.  McCall had previously made threats to VA employees, so his appointment was scheduled at this location because of the security measures present at its entry point.

When entering the building for his appointment, he was required to go through a security checkpoint to ensure no prohibited items were brought into the facility.  During the security check, VA employees discovered that McCall had an unauthorized item and would not allow him to enter the facility with it.

At this point, McCall began to cause a disturbance and the VA police were required to intervene.  When a VA police officer tried to investigate the incident further, McCall attempted to leave in his car. The officer, who was standing near the rear of McCall’s car, ordered McCall to stop and exit the vehicle. McCall refused and instead put his car into reverse and sped backwards toward the officer. The officer attempted to move out of the way, but he was run over by McCall and suffered serious injuries to his leg, which caused a permanent disability.

McCall fled, but was later arrested by authorities.

“We hope this sentence sends a message that endangering the lives of our federal law enforcement partners will not be tolerated,” said Franklin. “Our office will prosecute those who do so to the fullest extent of the law. In addition, we are committed to providing a safe environment for our veterans who visit VA facilities in the Middle District.  We hope for the continued recovery of the victim in this incident, who also happens to be a veteran himself, and thank him for his service.”

This case was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brandon W. Bates.