Sentencing day for Ridge White
Ridge White blows a kiss to friends in the courtroom after his sentencing hearing before Circuit Judge Jon B. Morgan Monday. White was found guilty of beating an Osceola County deputy who had pulled him over, and White was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
A man found guilty this month of battering an Osceola County deputy in 2014 was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday.
Ridge White, 28, was convicted on charges of battering a law-enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, and attempting to take a deputy’s weapon and battery.
White, who was shot five times during the incident and now uses a wheelchair, told Circuit Court Judge Jon Morgan he wanted to apologize to the deputy, Michael MacCallum.
“I’d like to say sorry to him for everything I put him through,” White said.
MacCallum, who no longer works in law enforcement, was not in court for the sentencing.
“Everything could have been avoided, and I’ve kinda learned from this lesson,” White said.
A jury acquitted White of attempted murder and felony battery charges on May 10.
White appeared to be in good spirits Monday, joking with other people in the courtroom as he waited for his sentencing to begin.
After the hearing, as a deputy pushed his wheelchair out of the room, White blew a kiss toward three friends who attended the hearing and gave them a thumbs up.
White has a long criminal record going back to his early teens, and is a registered sex offender. His former nickname is King Beast.
MacCallum pulled White over after he ran a stop sign April 20, 2014. As MacCallum patted White down, White turned around, punched the deputy’s face, and ran, video of the incident shows.
MacCallum caught up to White and fired his stun gun. He began punching White, delivering what he called “distraction strikes,” then realized he had dropped his handcuffs.
White flipped MacCallum over and started beating him. He had the deputy in a chokehold when a neighbor who had rushed over separated them. As White spun around, MacCallum fired five shots at him.