Schnegelsiepen sentenced to 12 years, ordered to make restitution

It’s an incident Lawrence police officer Doug Payne still can’t talk about without tears welling up in his eyes.

The moment his wife almost became a widow, his daughters almost lost their dad, and the entire force almost lost a fellow officer in the line of duty.

Prosecutor Katy Britton told the judge it’s a miracle Payne’s even alive.

“Obviously this has been very emotional for me, as well as my family,” Payne said at Monday’s sentencing hearing for the woman who almost took his life. “I thought I had that behind me, until today.”

Payne was one of two officers injured during a high speed pursuit Dec. 2, 2008, of burglary suspect Barbara Jo Schnegelsiepen. She struck the officer with the stolen vehicle she was driving as he was trying to place stop sticks on U.S. Highway 40 east of Big Springs. On Monday, she was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $36,000 in restitution.

“I’m sure with your history that you hate cops,” the officer’s wife, Angela Payne, said while addressing Schnegelsiepen during the sentencing hearing Monday. “But let me tell you who my husband is: he’s a son, he’s a brother, he’s a man who goes to work every day so that he can support our family, and that was all he was doing that day when you chose that his life was unimportant, when you saw him and turned back around and came at him.”

Schnegelsiepen also rammed Lawrence police officer Hayden Fowler’s patrol car as he was sitting in the vehicle and nearly struck a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s car during the lengthy and violent police chase.

Last month, as part of a plea deal, Schnegelsiepen pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and one count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Prosecutors agreed to drop the other four felony and three misdemeanor charges she was facing.

Douglas County District Court Judge Peggy Kittel went beyond the recommendations of that plea agreement in sentencing Schnegelsiepen on Monday on all three counts.

“I see nothing about your situation that deserves mitigation,” Kittel said. “You put the whole community in danger. And for the departments involved, it affects all the officers. It makes it very real to them. It makes their families worry about whether or not they’re going to be coming home.”

Kittel sentenced Schnegelsiepen to 145 months in prison, ordered her to pay more than $36,000 in restitution and will require her to register as an offender upon her release from prison, since the incident involved a deadly weapon — in this case a car.

Angela Payne said she hoped Schnegelsiepen used that time to her advantage.

“I hope you take these years you have to make something better of yourself,” she said. “Please take the time to better yourself, so when you come out you can be an asset to society.”

Schnegelsiepen did turn to face Doug Payne, directly apologizing for injuring him. “I am sorry. I am really sorry, she said. My actions that day had to do with drugs and that’s no excuse. … I’m sorry and you guys are in my prayers every day.”

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson, who was in the courtroom for Monday’s sentencing hearing, said he was pleased with the overall outcome of the case.

“We’re just really pleased we were able to take care of our officers that way, to keep them from having to testify and relive the horror of having a car driven at you and nearly being killed by being flipped over a car,” Branson said, “and at the same time placing her in prison where she belongs.”