SAINT HELENS Ore. (KPTV) – At his scheduled sentencing hearing on Wednesday, John Thralls, who is charged with striking an OSP trooper with his vehicle, requested the court to remove his admission of guilt.
On March 6, Thralls admitted guilt to charges including two counts of first-degree attempted murder and one count of first-degree assault. In return for his admission, he was sentenced to serve 19 years in prison.
On Wednesday, during an unexpected twist at the courthouse, Thralls informed the judge that he preferred going to trial instead of pleading guilty and facing 19 years behind bars. Thralls requested the court to retract his guilty plea, claiming he was unaware of the lengthy sentence he would receive.
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“I want to alter my plea for two reasons: first, I never intended to commit these crimes; second, I believe I have been exploited since I was led to plead guilty to 15 years, which is not equivalent to 228 months. I believed I was agreeing to 180 months, but that isn’t accurate,” Thralls stated in court.
Thralls is alleged to have struck OSP Trooper John Jeffries with a vehicle during a pursuit on November 11, 2021.
Jeffries was setting up a spike strip to slow down Thrall’s vehicle when he got struck.
As stated by OSP, Jeffries sustained critical injuries and underwent an extensive regimen of treatment and rehabilitation services aimed at restoring his physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral well-being. Prior to joining OSP, Jeffries had completed two decades of service with the FBI before deciding to retire.
The judge has not officially approved Thrall’s request to retract his guilty admission, leaving it uncertain whether the case will proceed to trial. The two parties will reconvene in June to finalize their decision on this matter.
