 Knuth shot at then-Lincoln police Chief Stuart Erlenbush on July 20,
2009. Erlenbush and police officer Michael Fruge returned fire. The
officers were attempting to stop Knuth in regard to their
investigation of a shooting incident that had recently been reported
to the police. Erlenbush has since retired as Lincoln police chief.
On Sept. 23, a Logan County jury found Knuth guilty of attempted
murder of a police officer in relation to him having shot at
Erlenbush. The jury also convicted Knuth of aggravated discharge of
a firearm in relation to the earlier shooting incident. He was
further convicted of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
For the 45-year sentence, Illinois law requires that he serve at
least 85 percent of a prison sentence of that type, which means that
he will have to serve at least 38 years and three months. In
addition, he will have to complete three years of mandatory
supervised release.
The concurrent sentencing includes five years in the Illinois Department of
Corrections for the conviction on unlawful possession of a weapon by
a felon and 10 years for the conviction on aggravated discharge of a
firearm conviction. These two convictions both have two years of
mandatory supervised release.
[Text from file received from Michael D.
McIntosh, Logan
County state's attorney]
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