OSSIPEE, NH - A YouTube content creator who ran down a Bartlett police officer with his car was sentenced after taking a plea deal in court.
As part of the plea deal, 36-year-old Erik Conover, pleaded guilty to two felony charges of first-degree assault and reckless conduct; he will serve a four-year minimum and 10-year maximum sentence in prison, WMUR reported. Conover labeled the incident a "massive misunderstanding" after he mowed down a New Hampshire cop with his Jeep.
"This is not the outcome I hoped for, and not the outcome that reflects the severity of what happened," said Bartlett Patrol Officer Cameron Emmett in a victim impact statement that was read at Conover's sentencing on Friday, December 5. "A police officer being run down during the course of duty is not a minor incident," Emmett told the court.
Conover, who has nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers, was initially charged with attempted murder for the March 15 incident, Law & Crime reported. He was sentenced was on the downgraded charges. "I know it's a difficult situation for everyone present that day," Conover said at his sentencing.
"I deeply regret my actions," he told the court. "I was suffering from a mental health acute bipolar manic episode that contributed to my actions and my decision-making on that day." This was vastly different than what he reportedly said at his bail hearing in March, when he claimed, "I will eviscerate every single person with my intelligence right now."
"The state troopers brutalized me," Conover reportedly said during the bail hearing. "Thank God for being in a small town." Conover, who goes by Eric Van Conover on YouTube and is described in news articles as a "YouTube millionaire" and real estate broker with a "Luxury Listings" series that features celebrities, attempted to tell police during his arrest that he was not the same Erik Conover that they were looking for in connection with the officer accident.
Police accused him of hitting Emmett during a chase and traffic stop gone wrong. According to police, Emmett had a different car pulled over when Conover sped past him in a 35-mph zone.
"He visually estimated the speed as being high, over the limit; around 55-60 miles per hour," Bartlett Police Sgt. Brian Moffitt told Magistrate Judge Mark Howard in court. Emmett pursued Conover and managed to get him stopped through various maneuvers with his patrol vehicle, and that's where things almost turned deadly.
"While Officer Emmett exited his vehicle, he moved around to the rear of his cruiser, and you, Mr. Conover, then backed his vehicle rapidly, pointed it directly at Officer Emmett, and accelerated at him, striking him at a reasonably high rate of speed," Moffitt said, noting that the officer flew between 20 and 40 feet.
"We're very fortunate that an amateur drone operator was in the air when he saw the interaction and was able to capture it on video," Moffitt said.
During the sentencing hearing, Emmett said he was not seeking "revenge" but rather accountability through legal justice. "I want the court to understand that the harm done was not temporary, and it was not minor," he explained. "My life was permanently altered."
On Friday, Conover's defense team said that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and through Emmett was going to hurt him when he approached his Jeep that day. He was ordered to undergo mental health treatment as part of his plea deal.
As part of the plea deal, 36-year-old Erik Conover, pleaded guilty to two felony charges of first-degree assault and reckless conduct; he will serve a four-year minimum and 10-year maximum sentence in prison, WMUR reported. Conover labeled the incident a "massive misunderstanding" after he mowed down a New Hampshire cop with his Jeep.
"This is not the outcome I hoped for, and not the outcome that reflects the severity of what happened," said Bartlett Patrol Officer Cameron Emmett in a victim impact statement that was read at Conover's sentencing on Friday, December 5. "A police officer being run down during the course of duty is not a minor incident," Emmett told the court.
Conover, who has nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers, was initially charged with attempted murder for the March 15 incident, Law & Crime reported. He was sentenced was on the downgraded charges. "I know it's a difficult situation for everyone present that day," Conover said at his sentencing.
"I deeply regret my actions," he told the court. "I was suffering from a mental health acute bipolar manic episode that contributed to my actions and my decision-making on that day." This was vastly different than what he reportedly said at his bail hearing in March, when he claimed, "I will eviscerate every single person with my intelligence right now."
"The state troopers brutalized me," Conover reportedly said during the bail hearing. "Thank God for being in a small town." Conover, who goes by Eric Van Conover on YouTube and is described in news articles as a "YouTube millionaire" and real estate broker with a "Luxury Listings" series that features celebrities, attempted to tell police during his arrest that he was not the same Erik Conover that they were looking for in connection with the officer accident.
Police accused him of hitting Emmett during a chase and traffic stop gone wrong. According to police, Emmett had a different car pulled over when Conover sped past him in a 35-mph zone.
"He visually estimated the speed as being high, over the limit; around 55-60 miles per hour," Bartlett Police Sgt. Brian Moffitt told Magistrate Judge Mark Howard in court. Emmett pursued Conover and managed to get him stopped through various maneuvers with his patrol vehicle, and that's where things almost turned deadly.
"While Officer Emmett exited his vehicle, he moved around to the rear of his cruiser, and you, Mr. Conover, then backed his vehicle rapidly, pointed it directly at Officer Emmett, and accelerated at him, striking him at a reasonably high rate of speed," Moffitt said, noting that the officer flew between 20 and 40 feet.
"We're very fortunate that an amateur drone operator was in the air when he saw the interaction and was able to capture it on video," Moffitt said.
During the sentencing hearing, Emmett said he was not seeking "revenge" but rather accountability through legal justice. "I want the court to understand that the harm done was not temporary, and it was not minor," he explained. "My life was permanently altered."
On Friday, Conover's defense team said that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and through Emmett was going to hurt him when he approached his Jeep that day. He was ordered to undergo mental health treatment as part of his plea deal.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments