A Clay County judge sentenced Omar Maria to serve 100 years in prison for shooting a Pleasant Valley police officer in 2014.
Maria was found guilty of assault on a law enforcement officer in the first degree and armed criminal action.
On Dec. 13, 2014, prosecutors say Maria shot Pleasant Valley Officer Jacob Baldwin during a traffic stop. Baldwin, who was 34 years old at the time, had stopped Maria for an expired plate.
Investigators say video shows Maria discharging a firearm eight times and then speeding away. The weapon was never recovered but a cellphone found at the scene was also connected to Maria.
Baldwin said he's watched the video of himself being shot many times. He said he gets goose bumps when he watches it because he knows that the bullet came within one inch of killing him.
“I always tell people you know it was the most unlucky time of my life and also the luckiest time of my life because any difference and that bullet could have killed me, but I was very lucky and I think God was definitely watching over me,” said Baldwin.
Baldwin said when he was shot his first thought was his daughter.
“I’ve got a 9-year-old daughter, and I think that’s the reason I’m here,” he said. “Right whenever I was shot, I had a ton of blood coming out and I was thinking, ‘This guy is not going to kill me. I’m going to survive and get home and see my daughter.’”
Baldwin recovered and returned to duty in July 2015. He later transferred to another department.
