Cody Hamlin was given the maximum sentence possible after pleading guilty to two charges Monday morning.

The 25-year-old La Grande man appeared before Judge Brian Dretke at the Union County Courthouse after waiving his right to a jury trial as part of an agreement. He pled guilty to fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, which is a Class C felony, and reckless driving, a Class A misdemeanor.

The state dropped two counts of reckless endangering per the agreement.

The felony carried a maximum sentence of 10 days in jail and 18 months of supervised probation, with Hamlin receiving credit for time served. For the misdemeanor, Dretke complied with the state’s request by issuing a one-year jail sentence, the maximum penalty under the law.

Hamlin has been in jail since he was apprehended May 17 after leading law enforcement on a high speed chase April 29 up Morgan Lake Road and onto Glass Hill Road outside of La Grande. The car he was driving suffered three flat tires, but Hamlin fled and was on the loose until being spotted at a family member’s house in May, when he was taken into custody.

During the sentencing trial, Hamlin said he “panicked and took off” when La Grande Police Department Officer Oscar Miller attempted to pull him over April 29 near Second Street and C Avenue.

“I had some probation warrants out,” said Hamlin, who had absconded from probation.

Union County Deputy District Attorney Greg Baxter said Hamlin had a lengthy history of convictions since 2009: first- and second-degree theft, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), fourth-degree assault, felon in possession of a weapon, reckless driving and attempt to elude police, among the various convictions.

Hamlin sped away after the attempted traffic stop and led law enforcement on a chase.

“Hamlin ran through several stop signs, going upward of 50 miles per hour,” Baxter said.

When he was seen leaving his mother’s house on a bike May 17 and law enforcement attempted to stop Hamlin, he ran into the home. Baxter said Hamlin initially sent family members out to say he wasn’t turning himself in before finally relenting.

“Even though that wasn’t charged, it goes to show his intent with what he’s trying to do,” Baxter said. “He’s going to run from law enforcement. He did so in a vehicle. He hopped off his bike and ran back in the house, and he wasn’t cooperating at all.”

Baxter asked for the maximum penalty for reckless driving based on those facts and a rash of recent eluding cases in Union County, pointing to Zachary Vice, who led a police chase to Union, where he crashed into a small business April 13.

“The court gave (Vice) a year in jail on the misdemeanor count,” Baxter said. “I think it’s appropriate here.”

During sentencing Hamlin said a drug addiction was the main reason for his criminal history. He had been out of prison for nine or 10 months and had spent the first 90 days clean and sober before falling back into his addiction. He and his public defender asked for a sentence of less than 12 months with a commitment to a closely supervised treatment program.

“I know I’ve been before you more times than either one of us would like, but all my cases have been about my drug problem,” Hamlin said. “I have no problem doing whatever time you think is fair. But I would like to get some help, even if I do get a year.”

Following his sentence for the felony, Dretke gave Hamlin an executed sentence of one year in jail.

“But I’m going to allow you to be released into an inpatient treatment program, provided that program is at least six months long,” Dretke said. “If you successfully complete the program, then you will not have to return to jail and complete the remainder of the sentence. If you are not successful, you have to come back and finish your entire year.”

Dretke also imposed a $1,000 fine for the misdemeanor, but suspended $750.

“I can’t stress enough just how dangerous (eluding police is),” Dretke said. “You are endangering everyone on this street. You’re running in that neighborhood up to C (Avenue) — that’s a residential neighborhood. There’s kids and everything else.

“Then you get on Morgan Lake Road. That’s a pretty steep incline. Then you have traffic coming down that road, and you’re going up it 40 or 50 mph. That’s how people get killed.”

Dretke said with Hamlin being on probation, he’s had options for treatment before.

“Frankly, I’m not convinced that you’re going to be amenable to an inpatient treatment program,” Dretke said. “But, I’m also a believer in giving people a second chance.

“I want you to get into a program. But if you blow it, it’s not going to be pretty.”