Editor’s Note: KSST thanks Assistant District Attorney and County-Court-At-Law Elect Clay Harrison for information in this report.
On November 19, Koty Peckham, 38, of Winnsboro, was sentenced for the offense of felony Evading with a Motor Vehicle by District Judge Eddie Northcutt. The defendant had multiple prior felony convictions, including Evading with a Motor Vehicle and Bail Jumping. The defendant pled guilty to fleeing from DPS Troopers on December 13, 2017 while on Highway 11. Ultimately, the troopers called off the pursuit due to safety concerns after they were able to positively identify the defendant as the driver. A couple of months later, on February 14, 2018, the defendant later attempted to evade DPS troopers near Amarillo, leading police on a high-speed chase up to 130 miles per hour involving approximately 20 officers. The Amarillo pursuit ended in the defendant being arrested.
During the sentencing hearing, the State presented evidence that the defendant was a member of the Peckerwood white supremacist organization and that he had numerous felony convictions. The judge sentenced Peckham to the maximum of 20 years in the Institutional Division, TDCJ. The judge also found true the State’s allegation that the defendant operated his motor vehicle in a manner that was capable of causing death or serious bodily injury to another. Based on this finding of true, the defendant will not be parole-eligible until he has served 10 years of his 20 year sentence.