http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...20041005/ap_on_fe_st/minister_bites_policeman Pastor Gets Probation for Biting Officer Tue Oct 5, 4:40 PM ET Strange News - AP RICHMOND, Texas - A minister convicted of biting a police officer during a traffic stop avoided two years in prison after a judge gave him 10 years of probation and ordered him to enroll in an anger management program. After a Fort Bend County jury found the Rev. Curtis Lucas guilty in August of assault on a public servant, state District Judge Thomas R. Culver III sentenced Lucas to two years in prison. But the judge also ordered that 52-year-old be brought back to court after 40 days to determine if he was eligible for a special form of probation. During Monday's hearing, Lucas read a letter of apology. "If I had to repeat the events of that evening, I would have just signed the ticket," Lucas said in his letter to Richmond police officer David Evans. Lucas, pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Richmond, was also ordered to perform 400 hours of community service and fined $2,500 plus court costs, the Houston Chronicle reports in its Tuesday editions. Evans had pulled Lucas over last September because his car did not have a front license plate. After the officer stopped Lucas, he learned the license plates were expired. When Lucas refused to sign the ticket, Evans tried to arrest him. Lucas resisted, biting the officer on the finger. Lucas represented himself during the trial despite warnings from Culver that not having a lawyer could be risky. How far is Richmond from Houston?
