Former Madison County deputy sentenced to 3 years

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - Former Madison County deputy Justin Watson was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday. He must report for this sentence by Jan. 5, 2017.

Watson went before a federal judge on Thursday for his sentencing almost year after he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.

Watson and his lawyers made last-minute ditch appeal for a lesser sentence before the ruling came in shortly before 4 p.m. They wanted the judge to sentence him to three years supervised release or home detention.

READ MORE: Government recommending 5 year sentence for former Madison Co. deputy

It all started in 2012 when Watson got into a fight at a Hazel Green bar with Robert Bryant. Watson searched for Bryant for several weeks before pulling him over, ordering him out of his truck and beating and choking Bryant until he was unconscious.

At a later criminal proceeding, Watson falsely claimed he had never seen Bryant before the traffic stop.

He pleaded guilty in January to obstruction of justice, however, four other counts were dismissed. While Watson asked for a lesser sentence, prosecutors certainly did not.

In the 33-page court filing, Watson said he learned from his actions. His attorney wrote in the court filing that he is a broken man and only hopes to be able to go home and provide for his family. His dreams of a lifelong career in law enforcement are now dead.

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