A one-time leader in a south Alabama town was sentenced to probation after using his local radio show to threaten a police officer who pulled him over for drunken driving, authorities said Wednesday.
Former Evergreen City Council member Luther James Upton, 74, also was ordered to undergo mental health and substance abuse treatment during the three-year period, records show, and he can't drive until federal probation officials say so.
Upton pleaded guilty to a charge of making a threatening interstate communication, records show. He could have received a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Upton, who has had several traffic tickets through the years, went on a local radio show he hosted in May 2021 and urged Evergreen’s mayor and police chief to “get rid” of an officer who cited him for driving under the influence in late 2020.
“I dare him to stop me again. ’Cuz when he pulls me over, I’m going to put him down. I’m just telling ya now, I’m tired of it,”’ an indictment quoted Upton as saying.
Upton previously pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The drunk driving case was dismissed in February after Upton completed a pre-trial diversion program, records show.
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