LITTLE ROCK — The man authorities said shot an Arkansas State Police trooper has been served with an arrest warrant for battery in the first degree of a law enforcement officer.
Herman Lee White, 66, of Hope, was served with the arrest warrant while hospitalized in the CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana.
Battery in the first degree of a law enforcement officer is a Class Y felony, which carries a potential sentence that ranges from a minimum of 10 to 40 years or life in prison and a maximum fine of $25,000.
Authorities accuse White of shooting Arkansas State Police Cpl. Pete Penney during a traffic stop about 9 p.m. Friday.
Penney, who was shot once, shot White three times, officials said.
White was taken to UAMS hospital in Little Rock about 9 p.m. Sunday, said Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton. White is listed in stable condition. When he is released from the hospital, White will be transferred to the Hempstead County jail, Singleton said.
Penney, meanwhile, was released from St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital in Hot Springs about 1 p.m. Monday, said his stepfather, Robert DeHart.
The shooting occurred about 9 p.m. Friday during a traffic stop along U.S. 278 between Ozan and Nashville.
About 10 minutes after the initial report of the traffic stop, Penney requested assistance and reported shots had been fired. Nashville Police officer Justin Thornton was the first to arrive and found Penneyand White both wounded, said Nashville Police Chief Dale Pierce.
Penney is an eight-year veteran of the highway patrol division and was a former Little River County Sheriff’s deputy.
The Arkansas State Police, Nashville Police Department, Hempstead and Howard counties’ sheriff’s departments and the Hope Police Department are investigating the shooting.
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 03/28/2012