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Elderly man avoids jail for resisting arrest in traffic stop

Posted at 11:51 AM, Aug 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-24 11:51:48-04

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — An 84-year-old northern Michigan bar owner convicted of resisting arrest during a traffic stop by Michigan State Police that left him injured has avoided jail time.

A judge on Thursday sentenced Larry Sevenski to time served along with $1,800 in fines and costs. He had faced up to two years in prison after a jury convicted him in July.

Troopers said that after they stopped Sevenski on March 17 for failing to signal a turn, he stepped out of his vehicle, approached their patrol car and raised a fist to Trooper Brock Artfitch. The trooper tackled Sevenski, leaving the man hospitalized with a broken arm and bloodied nose.

Sevenski said the troopers were staking out his Antrim County bar, Larry’s Seven-Ski Inn, to catch drunken drivers on St. Patrick’s Day.