OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) — A man who opened fire on Washington County deputies during a January traffic stop in Arlington has been sentenced to prison.
David Boettcher, 48, pleaded no contest Tuesday to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, use of a firearm to commit a felony, and attempted first-degree assault. Judge Zachary Blackman sentenced him to 70–90 years in prison.
Prosecutors dropped several charges, including habitual criminal, possession of meth, use of a firearm to commit a felony, attempted second-degree assault, and intentional child abuse without injury.
The charges stemmed from a traffic stop on Jan. 7 that turned into a shootout. Around 2 p.m., a Washington County deputy pulled over a Jeep SUV on Highway 30 and 1st Street after recognizing the driver as a woman with a suspended license.
A witness told First Alert 6 that the driver exited the vehicle, but the male passenger, later identified as Boettcher, refused to cooperate. Witness video showed Boettcher jumping from the passenger side, firing at deputies, and running as officers returned fire.
Deputies shot Boettcher, who was taken to a Fremont hospital and later flown to Omaha for surgery. Authorities later confirmed a 1-year-old child was inside the vehicle during the shootout. The child was unharmed and placed in protective care.
Court records show Boettcher has three prior third-degree domestic violence convictions and had an active warrant for domestic assault at the time of the incident.
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