Man Gets 14-Year Sentence For Body-Slamming Joliet Cop

JOLIET (STMW) -- A Chicago man was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Thursday for body slamming a female Joliet police officer last year as she tried to arrest him for hitting his girlfriend.

Mario C. Bolden, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder, a Class 1 felony that carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a release from the Will County State's Attorney's office said. 

Circuit Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak sentenced Bolden to one year shy of the maximum penalty and he must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for release.

The female officer was attempting to arrest Bolden for hitting his girlfriend when he picked her up and slammed her to the ground, the release said. The officer suffered severe head injuries when she struck the ground.

"This brave officer arrived on the scene to stop Mario Bolden from harming his girlfriend," State's Attorney James Glasgow said in the release. "The defendant demonstrated abject disregard for the law and for the life of this officer when he committed this contemptible and brutal attack. Our streets will be safer while he is behind bars.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)