BRYAN, Texas — A March 26, 2021 domestic disturbance incident involving a man that threatened to kill his victim and any law enforcement that showed up over the phone has been sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison.
According to the Brazos County District Attorney's Office, that day a female victim called 911 in fear for her life, claiming Joseph Lawson had put a gun to her head while threatening to kill her. While on the phone with the operator, he yelled that he would murder any law enforcement that came to where he was and force them to kill him.
Lawson fled the area where the disturbance was reported, still yelling that he would kill any officers that stopped him. Officers from the Bryan Police Department, Brazos County Sheriff's Office, and Texas A&M University Police Department were able to find and stop him and apprehend him.
The gun that was used in the domestic disturbance call was found in Lawson's car. Authorities also found multiple other guns inside his home.
After he had been arrested, Lawson called the victim and asked her to lie about what had happened, and admitted he wasn't going to follow his bond conditions set by the court after he had been released. One of those conditions was to not go near the woman's home, which he repeatedly violated and was arrested on multiple occasions, according to officials.
During his trial, Lawson was sentenced to the maximum 10 years in prison for threatening an officer, with another five-year sentence being added for an Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon charge. Lawson was sentenced by Judge David Hilburn on Friday.
"The defendant was violent towards a woman he claimed to love, towards those who rescued her, and disregarded all safeguards the court put in place for her safety," said Assistant District Attorneys Jessica Escue and Anjelica Harris in a press release. "This sentence reflects the consequences of those who endanger victims and first responders in our community."
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