Lenoir man to serve five to seven years in prison

LENOIR, NC (September 13, 2017)…Matthew Charles Minton, 27, of Lenoir, was sentenced to serve five to seven years in prison after pleading guilty as charged to felony breaking and entering a motor vehicle, felony failure to appear, felony assault on a law enforcement officer inflicting serious injury, and admitting his status as a habitual felon during Caldwell County Superior Court on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017.

The Honorable Daniel A. Kuehnert, Superior Court Judge from Burke County, imposed Minton’s active prison term, which will be served in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.

In addition, Minton faces an additional sentence of 6-17 months if he fails to successfully complete 30 months of supervised probation upon his release from prison.

The defendant’s prior felony convictions for possession of a stolen motor vehicle in Caldwell County (May 2008) and possession of stolen goods in Caldwell County (August 2010 and August 2014) enhanced the sentence handed down by Judge Kuehnert.

On Oct. 1, 2015, Minton used a small blade tool to break in to a vehicle. When confronted by the owner of the vehicle, Minton fled into a nearby wooded area but later was apprehended by officers from Lenoir Police Department after a foot chase. He failed to appear for his March 21, 2017, trial setting.

In April 2017, Minton was pulled over for driving with a headlight that was burned out. He gave Master Patrol Officer Mark Coffey II a false name and ran away from the vehicle. Coffey caught up with Minton, and they engaged in a physical struggle. Minton attempted to strangle the officer and pulled several times at his service weapon. Coffey regained control of the situation by deploying his Taser. Minton and Coffey suffered injuries from the altercation but were treated at a local hospital.

MPO Coffey and Patrolman Chris Smith handled the cases for Lenoir Police Department with assistance from Deputy Kaiser Isbell of the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office. Jennifer C. Mathews prosecuted the cases for the District Attorney’s Office.