CEDAR CITY — A Cedar City man who pleaded guilty to five felonies in connection with an incident during which he was shot and wounded by police on Valentine’s Day last year was sentenced to prison on Tuesday.
Larry Joseph Lee Tessier, 37, was ordered to serve two terms of 1-15 years in the Utah State Prison for the second-degree felonies of attempted aggravated burglary and criminal mischief. He also was sentenced to three terms of 0-5 years for three third-degree felonies, namely two counts of aggravated assault and one count of failure to stop at command of police.
Additionally, 5th District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen ordered that each of the terms be served consecutively, meaning Tessier will serve no less than two years and possibly as long as 45 years, with the exact length of the total sentence to be ultimately determined by the Utah Board of Pardons.
As previously reported in Cedar City News, Tessier led police on a vehicle pursuit the evening of Feb. 14, 2021, following a 911 call reporting an aggravated assault. The ensuing chase ended in a rural area near 2400 West and 400 North with four officers opening fire as Tessier drove his vehicle toward them. Initially hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds, Tessier was later booked into jail after he recovered and was released from the hospital.
Meanwhile, the officers’ use of deadly force was found to be justified by an independent agency’s investigation.
Although he had initially entered not guilty pleas on each of the five counts, Tessier eventually pleaded guilty to the charges on Oct. 19.
During Tessier’s sentencing hearing Tuesday afternoon, Cedar City Police Chief Darin Adams told the court that the officers involved remain affected by the incident, with two of them still receiving counseling.
“Your Honor, they fired their weapons that night,” Adams told the judge. “That’s not something that occurs very routinely here in Cedar City and Iron County, at all. And so, to make those decisions in a split second, to protect themselves and the lives of innocent bystanders, is nothing to be taken lightly.”
“With that being said, I think it’s important that Mr. Tessier stands to account strictly for his decisions and his behaviors,” Adams added. “Consequences matter. And I would ask that the court recommend the strictest sentence possible.”
During his remarks to the court, Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson gave a brief recap of what unfolded the evening of Feb. 14, 2021, starting with a knife-wielding Tessier injuring another man during a confrontation at a residence.
“After the assault, Mr. Tessier drove away,” Dotson recounted. “Law enforcement stopped his vehicle and commanded him to get out of the vehicle. Tessier ignored these commands and drove away. A vehicle pursuit began where Tessier would take officers in front of a school and onto narrow residential streets.”
Dotson noted that during the pursuit, Tessier’s efforts to evade capture included driving up and over curbs, driving over spike strips and intentionally ramming the law enforcement vehicles.
“He accelerated and hit a separate officer head-on,” Dotson said. “Once officers surrounded his vehicle, he revved his engine, placed it in gear and accelerated towards officers who were at this point on foot. This imminent threat required officers to open fire, as was indicated by Chief Adams.”
Dotson also told the court that less than one year earlier, Tessier had gone to a residence in Cedar City, kicked in the door and assaulted a man inside the garage, injuring the man.
“Go back just nine months before that incident and Mr. Tessier was released from prison in Oklahoma for a burglary and distribution conviction,” Dotson added. “So, the recent history of Mr. Tessier is that he can’t even go a year without being convicted of a violent felony.”
Dotson also referred to the various letters Tessier has written to the court since his incarceration.
“Several of these letters can only be regarded as creative writing,” Dotson said. “A fictional retelling where Tessier casts himself as the hero and all the victims, including law enforcement, are the villains.”
“To see his lack of remorse, his lack of accountability and the kind of dangerous thinking that allows people like him to continue to hurt people because they believe that they’re in the right and they’re justified, I think that that’s concerning for public safety,” Dotson added.
“He’s displayed a reckless disregard for public safety, a disdain for law enforcement and a history of violence that leaves victims in his wake wherever he goes,” Dotson said as he asked the court to impose the maximum possible sentence.
However, Tessier’s defense attorney Jeffery Slack told the court he has seen a much different version of Tessier’s persona during his interactions with his client.
Slack said he believes the letters Tessier wrote from jail were a way for him to relieve pressure.
“It’s hard to be in jail,” Slack said. “I’m sure there’s anxieties and there are, you know, little mental illnesses that probably most of us have, but throw us in a jail cell and those just become extremely exacerbated.”
“I’m asking the court to look beyond some of the eccentricities that maybe have been displayed,” Slack added. “I will tell you that after many of those letters that were read, I took offense for a minute. And then I got a call from Mr. Tessier, on his own doing, who was calling and apologizing, and really was able to articulate what was going on and why he wrote what he wrote.
“What I wanted to portray to the court is that of an individual who, with a little bit of good guidance, as opposed to negative guidance, is actually a very meaningful member of society.”
Another who spoke on Tessier’s behalf was his employer Peter Woodman, who owns and operates a flooring business in Cedar City.
“He’s extremely good at what he does,” Woodman said of Tessier as he briefly addressed the court. “And more importantly, I’ve seen that he’s been trustworthy towards me, in every way with his hours and everything else. He’s been extremely personable towards clients.”
Woodman added that he has never seen Tessier be violent or aggressive.
“Never, ever, in all the time that I’ve known him,” he said. “I would definitely work with Larry again side by side, leaving him alone as well, if the opportunity arose.”
Other character witnesses who spoke favorably on Tessier’s behalf were Rebecca Woodmancy and Sara Culpepper.
Woodmancy said that even though she was the person whose door Tessier kicked in during the 2020 incident, she doesn’t see herself as a victim.
“Larry never intended to hurt anyone,” she told the court. “He came out of worry over my daughter and the kids that night. Larry was and still is a member of our family, a great father and provider. He is trustworthy and has a big heart.
“Your Honor, I never spoke to an officer or anybody after that night, and I never pressed charges. He made his amends with me and he made the repairs himself. I never had an issue after that.”
Culpepper, Tessier’s fiancee, said that anyone who believes Tessier to be “some kind of monster” does not truly know him.
“Larry wasn’t ever in the mindset of wanting to hurt anyone,” she told the court.
Culpepper described Tessier as “an amazing father to stepchildren that love him and miss him more than words can imagine.”
“He’s a very hard-working man, and he has the motivation and drive to get what needs to be done, done,” she added. “He is a very loving and caring man. He’s loved by so many, even in the city of Cedar City.”
Culpepper went on to say that she feels somewhat responsible for what happened that night.
“Feb. 14, 2021, changed my life wherever I go,” she said. “I lost my best friend, my fiance, and my children’s father. Because of my actions, Larry was devastated and hurt because I chose to go to another man’s home for Valentine’s dinner. I was very wrong. I stepped out on someone who didn’t deserve it.
“Now, this does not mean that what he did was right or what he did was acceptable because it was wrong.And I believe he understands he let his emotions get the best of him that night. As a witness, I was there for all of it. I saw everything.”
“I blame myself for that night,” Culpepper added. “No, I did not commit the crime, but I did commit the heartbreaking moment for him. In return, it caused him to have an emotional come-apart and take his emotions out the wrong way. Larry has proven to me in several ways that he is not as bad as everyone says he is. He is just a man who has made bad decisions and wants to be better, not only for himself, but for his family at home, too.”
The court also heard from Tessier himself, who began his statement by saying, “I would like to start by apologizing for the events that took place as a result of my mental breakdown following the altercation.”
Tessier told the court he didn’t start the fight with the other man but admitted that he cannot prove that assertion.
Tessier also said that when the first pursuing officer made initial contact, he immediately pulled over.
“I was pleading for help to him because I was suffering from shock and bleeding profusely,” he said. “After I drove off, I was scared for my life and doing my best to remember how to get to the hospital. As the video shows. I had my emergency flashers on and was trying to slowly get there safely. Once I veered into the officer’s vehicle, I panicked and was filled with immense fear while simultaneously suffering from a mental breakdown stemming from my PTSD diagnosis.”
Tessier also spoke of the injuries he sustained from the gunshot wounds.
“My life has been hell ever since,” he said. “My right hand is permanently crippled. My left arm will hurt me for the rest of my life. And I have permanent partial facial paralysis as a result of my injuries that night, injuries I sustained while suffering a severe mental breakdown.”
“I can only be grateful nobody else was hurt as a result of that night’s actions,” he added.
Tessier also thanked the officers who stayed at the hospital with him while he recovered from his injuries.
“I’ve never held any ill will toward law enforcement, nor support anyone who does,” he said. “I understand they have a tough job and sometimes they have to make hard choices that cause the public to view them in a negative light, despite the good work they do.”
“No matter what you decide, I can hold my head up because I know what I’m guilty of and what (I’m not),” Tessier added as he finished his remarks to the judge. “I’ve been honest throughout this whole process.”
Before she imposed the sentence, Allen said, “The one silver lining in this is that no one was killed in the context of these terrible incidents, and that is a tremendous relief for everyone involved.”
“Considering everything that’s been said, it’s clear that there’s an ongoing public safety concern,” Allen added. “The court sincerely desires that Mr. Tessier gets any assistance that he may need to address his own particular issues. But that does not mitigate the need for a very serious sentence.”
“It’s the court’s sincere hope that the sentence that the court is going to hand down will serve public safety, but will also assist Mr. Tessier in addressing his own issues such that he can become the productive member of society that he appears to want to be.”
The judge did give Tessier credit for time already served in Iron County Jail since his incarceration more than one year ago.
Tessier didn’t address the court after the sentence was pronounced; instead, he abruptly left the room in the Iron County Jail from where he was appearing via videoconference.
Should he choose to do so, Tessier has 30 days to file a written notice of appeal, Allen noted.
Following the hearing, Dotson told Cedar City News, “Larry Tessier is a repeat, violent offender who has demonstrated that when he is incarcerated, the community is safer.”
“Throughout this process he has demonstrated a lack of remorse, accountability and a disdain for law enforcement,” Dotson added. “I am thankful for the court’s strong response to this type of egregious conduct.”
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