Prineville man gets 15 years in hammer attack on officer

A Prineville man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday for assaulting a police sergeant with at least a dozen hammer blows to the head when the officer was called to a March 2015 jewelry store robbery.

Before a courtroom packed with law enforcement and community members, Crook County Circuit Judge Gary Williams’ sentence for Trevor Trollope, 26, also included no earned or “good time” and no programs that would result in any early release, said District Attorney Daina Vitolins.

Trollope pleaded guilty earlier this month to first-degree assault, robbery and burglary charges, thus avoiding trial on a longer list of charges, including attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder.

“I would like to thank the members of our community and law enforcement who were there to support (injured Sgt.) Jimmy O’Daniel and his family,” Vitolins told NewsChannel 21.

“It sent a clear, strong message that in our community we know that every day, our police officers serve and protect us from people like the defendant Trollope, and that in Crook County we appreciate, care about and support our law enforcement officers,” the DA said.

She said Williams, in imposing sentence, “talked about the disturbing trend of assaulting and killing police officers who are simply responding to calls. He said that he never thought that it would happen in Prineville, but that the defendant did bring the national trend to Prineville by his criminal acts.”

The judge also said he’s unsure 15 years is enough time to protect the community, according to Vitolins, but that he hopes Trollope learns from the incident.

Trollope submitted letters to the judge for his review and offered an apology in the courtroom to O’Daniel and the community, saying “he has found the Lord,” Vitolins said.

Prineville Police Chief Dale Cummins has mixed feelings about the sentence.

“I don’t think a person that attacks a police officer — I don’t know if 15 years is enough,” Cummins said. “But these are my personnel – I know what they do, day in and day out. And I’m very offended when they are attacked in the line of duty.”

“So is 15 years enough for me? Probably not,” he added. “But I think it was a satisfactory end to this, and I’m very, very appreciative of the DA’s office and the way they handled this case.”