Man sentenced for attempted cop murder

A 13-year sentence was handed down this morning to a Seneca man who pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a policeman.  Judge McIntosh had the option to sentence Zachary Hackett to a maximum 30 years, but he took in consideration a couple of mitigating factors, including the fact that around 9-11 the defendant joined the U-S Army. The prosecution did not recommend a sentence, but assistant solicitor Blair Stoudemire said if he could he’d have asked for more than 30.  Because the offense is not parole able, Hackett must serve all of it.   He’s 41 years old, so he’d be around 55 years old once released. The judge was told the incident the night of October 11, 2023 started with a complaint about a barking dog, but escalated to a standoff that lasted until the morning hours.  According to prosecution witnesses as the police tried to issue a dog barking citation, Hackett climbed the stairs of his apartment and from an upstairs window fired a rifle shot that narrowly missed Corp. Highsmith.   The policeman told the judge he carries with him what happened that night and worries that had the rifle shot that whizzed by his head, he’d have been lost to his family if the rifle shot had hit him.  Highsmith is the father of three children.  The court was told the Highsmith and his fellow officers exercised skillful restraint and utilized an officer with a military background to attempt to negotiate Hackett’s surrender.  Because of unfortunate parts of the defendant’s past, a psychiatrist told the judge the ingredients made for “a recipe for a catastrophe.”  Defense attorney John Abdalla conceded the actions of his client were “misguided and irrational,” but he appealed for a light sentence, five or ten years, he requested.  Also speaking on Hackett’s defense were his mother, Shelly Underwood and his sister, Jennifer Boykin.