A judge in New Mexico sentenced a man to 4 1/2 years in prison for dragging Indian artist Pressley LaFountain more than half a mile from the man's car.

Andrew Lopez apologized for the June 11, 2002, accident. But the judge scolded Lopez for damaging LaFountain's right hand so severely that he can no longer make sculptures.

Lopez received credit for 21 months he has spent in jail or on probation. He will spend another 3 years in prison.

LaFountain alleged Lopez and a friend instigated the incident by making racist statements about being Indian. But Lopez and the friend claimed LaFountain called them "faggots."

Get the Story:
Dragging sentence handed down (The Santa Fe New Mexican 4/3)
Man Apologizes for Dragging Artist (The Albuquerque Journal 4/3)

Related Stories:
Indian artist recovering from incident (07/24)
N.M. artist recovering from accident (6/14)