Holtsville man gets max sentence for dragging officer during traffic stop

A Holtsville man was given a maximum sentence Friday of 1 1/3 to four years in prison for dragging a Suffolk County police officer during a traffic stop.
Michael Shear was convicted of DWI and reckless endangerment. He was found not guilty of the top charge of assault. Shear's attorney says he'll appeal the conviction on the lesser crimes.
Shear was initially pulled over last year near a Patchogue shopping center. There are two different versions of the events that transpired next. Police say Shear fled the scene, injuring Officer Greg Sandbichler in the process. The defense claims Shear left because he feared for his life, saying Sandbichler became belligerent and pulled out a Taser.
Shear has been arrested several times on drunk driving charges, including once while he was on probation.
Judge Stephen Braslow said to Shear at the sentencing: "If you just would have stopped and cooperated with the officer, none of this would have happened."
At the time of his arrest, police said Shear had a blood-alcohol level four times the legal limit and that he was driving with a suspended license.