A ‘dangerous’ prisoner who shot at a police officer in 2010 has been released.
Rodney Gene Crosswell was paroled on Monday, after serving seven years.
Crosswell was put behind bars after pointing and discharging a sawn-off shotgun at a constable in May, 2010.
He pleaded not guilty to attempted murder but went on to plead guilty to a lesser charge of assaulting a police officer.
The board considers that he has reached the point where he should be afforded an opportunity to demonstrate his skills at reintegration.
- Parole board
He also pleaded guilty to charges of stealing, armed robbery, aggravated assault, setting fire to property and perverting the course of justice – which related to a number of incidents in Hobart.
He was handed a 10-and-a-half year sentence, but in 2012 he won an appeal to shorten his jail term to eight years.
Less than a month after he was jailed, Crosswell was at the centre of an extensive land and air search in December, 2010 when he escaped from Risdon Prison’s maximum security unit.
Police recaptured Crosswell and described him as a ‘dangerous’ inmate.
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Last year, Crosswell was refused parole twice.
But on Monday, the parole board released its latest decision, stating Crosswell had “served a considerable proportion of his sentence, well beyond the date upon which he became eligible for parole under the terms of the sentence imposed by the court”.
“The board considers that he has reached the point where he should be afforded an opportunity to demonstrate his skills at reintegration,” the decision read.
“The applicant identifies drug use as one of the primary factors in his offending behaviour.
“The applicant describes ‘spending eight years in a cell’ as changing his perspective and that he wants to put prison behind him.”
He was paroled from October 23 until June 14, 2020 on a number of conditions, including that he not approach any of his victims or any correctional officer.
Melissa Mobbs
A journalist with more than a decade of experience, Melissa Mobbs currently works as the Deputy Editor for The Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, and has a strong background in reporting on crime and the justice system. Send tips to Melissa.Mobbs@examiner.com.au or on Twitter via @melissamobbs.
A journalist with more than a decade of experience, Melissa Mobbs currently works as the Deputy Editor for The Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, and has a strong background in reporting on crime and the justice system. Send tips to Melissa.Mobbs@examiner.com.au or on Twitter via @melissamobbs.
