Felon gets 10 years for assaults

A violent felon who, while handcuffed, wrestled a gun away from a police officer and fired a shot at him has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Wayne Bell, 41, of Wagener, entered an Alford plea on Tuesday and was sentenced moments before his trial was set to start on charges related to a 2009 incident in which he choked a family member unconscious and, when arrested, tried to run and fought police before attempting to kill a Wagener officer.

A jury was selected, and pretrial motions were argued Monday.

Chief Administrative Judge Doyet A. "Jack" Early sentenced Bell to a 10-year sentence for each crime of kidnapping, assault and battery with intent to kill, resisting arrest and criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature. The terms are to be served concurrently.

Starting on Oct. 14, Bell began an attack on a family member by removing the phone, turning off all of the lights in the house before locking it from the outside and climbing back into the building, according to testimony.

He is said to have then choked his wife unconscious. When the victim woke up, Bell had been fanning her with a paper plate. He dragged her to his bed and fetched her a glass of water, according to testimony.

The victim's daughter came by the residence, became concerned and called the police. When a Wagener police officer and an Aiken County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived on the scene, a dashboard camera recorded him saying, "I'm not going to jail."

He resisted arrest and was pepper-sprayed. He was handcuffed but tried to run; he was pushed to the floor by the Wagener officer, who then lay on top of him while the deputy fetched additional restraints from his vehicle.

While the officer lay on top of him, Bell managed to tear the top of the sidearm holster, removing the gun and firing a shot at the officer. The shot missed and hit his patrol car.

The officer then managed to grab the pistol, discharge the magazine and jam his thumb in the trigger, stopping any more shots from being fired. Bell was then restrained and taken to jail.

Bell has a criminal record including failure to stop for a blue light, resisting arrest, simple assault, hit and run, driving under the influence and criminal domestic violence.

An Alford plea comes from the U.S. Supreme Court case North Carolina v. Alford. It allows a defendant who does not admit their guilt but feels the State could prove their guilt to a jury to accept the benefit of a plea deal.

Contact Mike Gellatly at mgellatly@aikenstandard.com.