A Phoenix man, Michael Leroy Witt, 56, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for assaulting a federal officer and smuggling noncitizens into the U.S., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
The crimes occurred on Feb. 20, 2023, near Sonoita in Santa Cruz County, southeast of Tucson. Border Patrol agents stopped Witt, suspecting he was transporting undocumented migrants. When an agent instructed Witt to turn off his vehicle, Witt accelerated, dragging the agent alongside the car toward oncoming traffic. Despite the danger, the agent managed to turn off the vehicle and bring it to a stop.
Authorities discovered Witt was concealing two undocumented migrants, intending to transport them further into the U.S. Witt was convicted of assaulting a federal officer, causing bodily harm, and conspiring to smuggle and transport migrants.
The case underscores the risks faced by federal agents and the serious consequences of human smuggling operations.