Driver in east Lubbock pursuit that ended in crash, gas leak sentenced to 35 years.

The driver who caused a gas leak after crashing his car at the end of a police chase nearly five years ago in east Lubbock was recently sentenced to 35 years in prison after entering a guilty plea in court.

Aaron Pulley appeared in the 140th District Court on Aug. 9 and pleaded guilty to a count of evading arrest in a vehicle.

The offense is a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years in prison. However, prosecutors used Pulley's prior convictions for sexual assault and burglary of a habitation to enhance his punishment range to 25 years to life in prison.

He also faced felony charges of aggravated assault on a public servant, assault of a pregnant person and failure to register as a sex offender.

However, as part of his deal with the Lubbock County District Attorney's Office, those charges were dismissed. Prosecutors also waived a deadly weapon enhancement that would have required Pulley to serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for release on parole.

Prosecutor Russell Mayne said the dismissed charges were factored into the 35-year prison sentence he offered Pulley.

Pulley, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since July 11, 2021, arrest entered his plea ahead of a trial set the Aug. 12.

His charge stems from a Dec. 18, 2019, traffic stop about 6 p.m. in the 900 block of East Emory Street where a Lubbock patrol officer spotted a 2007 Chevrolet driving without headlights.

The officer stopped the vehicle at a gated apartment complex and learned the vehicle's headlights were missing and its taillight was broken.

A pipe used to smoke methamphetamine sat on Pulley's lap.

Before arresting Pulley, the officer called for backup as Pulley appeared erratic and uncooperative.

A backup officer arrived and was signaled to stop in front of Pulley's vehicle to prevent him from driving off.

However, Pulley drove away before his vehicle could be blocked in, striking the rear of the backup officer's vehicle. The officer was uninjured and exited his vehicle and fired four shots at Pulley's fleeing vehicle, which struck a metal security gate as he left the parking lot.

Both officers chased Pulley eastbound on East Emory Street, then southbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard before the chase ended when Pulley struck a vehicle and a natural gas meter, causing a gas leak.

A portion of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was temporarily closed as Lubbock Fire Rescue and Atmos Energy responded to the gas leak.

Meanwhile, Pulley was arrested and taken to University Medical Center where he was cleared to be booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center.

He was released on bond March 28, 2020 but was rearrested July 11, 2021, when police were responding to a domestic disturbance and he was booked in to the Lubbock County jail on two counts of assault on a pregnant person and failure to register as a sex offender.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Driver in east Lubbock pursuit that ended in crash, gas leak sentenced to 35 years.