Joshuea Boger appears in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court.
MCP file photo
Court agrees to 14-year minimum prison term
By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
LUDINGTON — The 47-year-old Scottville man who nearly pushed a Mason County sheriff’s deputy into a semi truck trying to disarm him pleaded no contest to eight felony counts in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court Thursday, March 13.
Joshuea Michael Boger’s case was scheduled to go to trial next week, but in light of his plea, the trial will not take place.
Boger entered into a Cobbs agreement* with the court, said Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Beth Hand. “… the court agreed to sentence the defendant to prison for a period of 14 years to an unspecified maximum period of years,” said Prosecutor Hand. He faces a maximum possible term of life in prison. “Defendant was on felony probation at the time of the offenses,” she said.
Boger pleaded no contest to: assault with intent to murder; attempt to disarm an officer; third-degree fleeing a police officer; third-offense operating while intoxicated; and four counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing police.
He is scheduled for sentencing June 17 at 10:50 a.m.
“If the court decides at the time of sentence that it is unable to abide by the terms of the sentencing agreement, the defendant will be allowed to withdraw his plea,” said the prosecutor.
During his arrest Jan. 25, 2024, Boger “had originally complied during the stop and complained the handcuffs were too tight,” previously said Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole. “As the deputy was loosening the cuff, he turned on the deputy.”
“He was able to break free from his handcuffs,” said Prosecutor Hand.
Before his arrest, Boger had fled from the deputy — reaching a speed of 75 mph in a 25 mph zone — after a “be on the lookout” alert was issued for a possible drunk driver. He nearly hit a pedestrian with his vehicle during the chase, said Sheriff Cole.
“At 11:38 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, the Mason/Oceana County 911 Center put out a ‘be on the lookout’ for a possible drunk driver traveling eastbound on Hansen Road near Stiles Road in Mason County’s Amber Township,” stated Sheriff Cole. “A Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputy was on patrol on North Scottville Road at the US 31 bypass and spotted the reported vehicle as it was making a turn onto Scottville Road from North US 31. The deputy confirmed the plate and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle failed to stop, traveling southbound on Scottville Road/North Main Street at a slow speed and into the City of Scottville.
“After several blocks, the vehicle pulled into a Scottville business parking lot and stopped,” said Sheriff Cole. “As the deputy was about to exit his patrol car, the suspect fled through the parking lot back onto North Main Street, and nearly struck a pedestrian walking in a crosswalk near Wesco. The suspect fled southbound on Main and ran the red light at State Street.
“The vehicle accelerated up to approximately 75 mph in a 25 mph zone before pulling into a driveway in the 500 block of South Main Street in the City of Scottville.
During the ensuing arrest, the suspect grabbed one of the deputies by his exterior vest carrier and pushed him backwards, reportedly in an attempt to shove the deputy into the side of a passing logging semi-truck. The suspect then grabbed the deputy’s handgun, attempting to disarm the deputy. The deputy and the suspect ended up on the ground on centerline of the road.
“I am profoundly grateful the driver of the logging truck slowed and moved well to the left. Body cam video clearly shows the suspect was able to shove the deputy out into the travel lanes of the road, within just a couple feet of the passing logging truck.
Boger remains lodged in the Mason County Jail on a $500,000 cash/surety bond.
*A Cobbs plea is a legal mechanism that allows a defendant to plead guilty to a criminal offense with some certainty as to what his/her sentence from the judge will be. People v Cobbs, 443 Mich 276 (1993) allows a Michigan court to negotiate the sentence it will impose if the defendant pleads guilty or “no contest.”
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