A New Boston, Texas, man accused of assaulting a Red River Army Depot police officer pleaded not guilty Monday in a Texarkana federal court.
Dontrell McChester, 32, allegedly used a motor vehicle as a "dangerous and deadly weapon" during an Sept. 11 encounter with Officer Nicholas Nunn on Red River Army Depot property. McChester was taken into custody that day and has been behind bars since.
An indictment handed down Sept. 20 and unsealed Monday in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas alleges that McChester engaged in physical contact with Nunn and used a "motor vehicle" to inflict bodily injury while Nunn was acting as a law-enforcement officer for the U.S. Department of Defense.
The type of motor vehicle involved is not specified and the severity of Nunn's injuries are not described in the indictment. McChester appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven for arraignment Monday in Texarkana's downtown federal building. With the help of Texarkana lawyer Michael Friedman, McChester entered a not-guilty plea to the charge.
Craven ordered McChester's continued confinement at Monday's hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Hornok is representing the government.
If found guilty of using a deadly or dangerous weapon during the commission of an assault on a federal officer, McChester faces up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both. If found to have assaulted a federal officer through physical contact, McChester faces up to eight years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both.
McChester's case is scheduled for jury selection Nov. 26 before U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III.