A Texas woman was sentenced to life in prison Monday for shooting an Arkansas State Police trooper.
Elsbeth Tresa Kittinger, 49, of Fort Worth, pleaded guilty in Hot Spring County Circuit Court to charges of first-degree battery and commission of a felony with a firearm in the April 1 shooting of Trooper Kyle Sheldon.
Initially, Kittinger also faced two charges each of attempted capital murder, unlawful discharge of a firearm and fleeing. But those charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement.
Kittinger was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years, to run consecutively, according to a judge’s note in the case file.
According to a fact statement filed Monday in court, and confirmed by Kittinger, Sheldon stopped Kittinger’s Dodge pickup at the Corner Store Valero in Rockport for traffic violations. A check of her driver’s license indicated Kittinger had a warrant for her arrest out of Texas.
When Sheldon opened the door of Kittinger’s pickup, she shot him with a .38-caliber pistol, according to the court filing. The bullet struck Sheldon in the right shoulder/chest area, above his vest.
Sheldon survived the shooting.
