PORT RICHEY, Fla. – The long, winding road in the case of the former Port Richey mayor has come to an end.
Dale Massad pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to a charge of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
He was sentenced to three years in prison – two of which he has now served. It was a reduced charge from what he was facing originally, which was attempted murder.
Massad appeared in court by video from jail to enter his guilty plea.
His trial kept getting delayed, partly due to the pandemic.
Former Port Richey Mayor Dale Massad appeared in court this morning by video from jail. He plead guilty to several reduced charges from the Feb ’19 incident, where he was accused of firing at Pasco deputies during a raid at his home. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/bMIAzDcA2T
— Tim Wronka (@TimWronka) March 3, 2021
Massad was accused of firing his weapon at Pasco County deputies, who were raiding his home in an investigation into Massad practicing medicine without a license.
“February 1, 2019, changed my life,” Sgt. Bill Lindsey said of the incident. “The actions of Mr. Massad put my life and the life of my team in jeopardy.”
Massad’s defense attorney, Denis Devlaming, said Massad is dealing with health issues.
“This was a way to resolve it so there’s light at the end of the tunnel. COVID has made it so we couldn’t get a trial date,” Devlaming said.
Massad also pleaded guilty to a few other charges, including practicing medicine without a license, weapons charges and resisting arrest.
He has now already served two years of his three-year sentence.
