Woman shot by Lexington police faces up to 4 years in prison after pleading guilty

A Lexington woman who was shot and injured by the Lexington Police Department faces up to four years in prison after she agreed to plead guilty in the criminal case that stemmed from the incident.

Lasielle White, 29, pleaded guilty to criminal mischief, fleeing police and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. She faces one to four years in prison for those charges. She originally faced three additional charges of first-degree wanton endangerment, but those were amended down to second and third-degree offenses as part of a plea agreement. She faces an additional 12 months on those charges. She’ll also have to pay more than $4,500 in restitution, according to court records.

Any sentence White receives on misdemeanor charges will run at the same time as any sentence she receives for her felony charges, according to her attorney, Gregory Coulson.

White was shot in an altercation with police that stemmed from a domestic violence incident, according to prior police statements and court testimony. She was accused of stabbing a man, backing her vehicle into a police cruiser and nearly hitting several Lexington firefighters while fleeing police.

Coulson said White is a survivor of abuse dating back to her childhood and lives with post-traumatic stress disorder. A forensic evaluation near the time of her arrest suggested mental health contributed to what happened during the incident in February.

White was originally arrested and charged with attempted murder, wanton endangerment, criminal mischief and fleeing/evading police. A grand jury indicted her in April on reduced charges. White has been living on home incarceration since posting a $7,500 bond on Feb. 17, court documents show. A judge previously reduced White’s bond because she has no prior criminal history.

“The Fayette grand jury considered this evidence as well as the testimony of relevant witnesses. During the time that she, a person with zero criminal history, was on bond she was able to raise her children, work, and receive critical care,” Coulson said. “The decision to permit her a constitutional bond with close monitoring saved the community untold thousands of dollars in resources and ensured public safety.”

Coulson told the Herald-Leader he hopes a judge will allow the entirety of the sentence to run concurrently for a total of one year, but plans to request White receive probation at sentencing.

White “has spent her life giving back to her community and ensuring that those most at risk didn’t fall through the cracks,” Coulson said, noting that she earned a bachelor’s degree in social work and continues to volunteer with a local organization to help with at-risk youth.

“We are appreciative of the commonwealth for its careful consideration of all of the evidence and its fairness in dealing. We look forward to watching Lasielle continuing her impactful and important work,” Coulson said.

What happened the night of the arrest

Police were called to the 2300 block of Lonan Court at 4:15 p.m. Feb. 7 for a report of “a domestic violence incident involving a weapon,” Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said at a news conference after the incident.

The victim in the domestic violence incident had fled the area, and officers did not make contact with anybody at the home.

Court documents say White tried to stab a man with a kitchen knife, but a cross-body bag prevented the knife from penetrating his chest. White subsequently slashed the two front tires of his car. Police and firefighters were called back to the home at 5:04 p.m. that same day for a report of “wanton endangerment involving a collision.”

Weathers said White had tried to hit someone with a vehicle and then hit a residence. She was in the vehicle and refused to get out.

Police said she backed into a cruiser, then drove forward and almost hit several firefighters.

“In response to the life-threatening situation, an officer fired their weapon, striking the driver,” Weathers said.

Court documents say White caused more than $1,000 in damage by colliding with the cruiser. White then left the scene, and police pursued her through parts of Fayette and Scott counties before she stopped in Coldstream Park.

White got out of the vehicle after the Lexington Police Department’s crisis negotiation unit made contact with her.

White is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 19.