By Eric Kurhi
The Daily Review
HAYWARD, Calif. — A plea deal reached Monday will mean decades behind bars for a Hayward man accused of pistol-whipping and beating an off-duty city police officer, authorities said.
Richard Session, 40, agreed to a 40-year sentence for his crimes, said Alameda County prosecutor Mark Melton.
In March 2007, Officer Michele Winters stopped at about 7 a.m. to pick up some treats for her colleagues at a Jackson Street doughnut shop on her way to work, Melton said.
As she was putting them in her car, Session snatched her purse, which contained a handgun that she carries when off-duty.
“She knew that letting a robber loose in Hayward with a weapon was not something she could do, and so she chased him,” Melton said.
According to police reports at the time, Session found the pistol and tried to use it on Winters but it did not fire because no cartridge was chambered. He then repeatedly struck Winters with the gun and kicked her down before again running away.
Melton said Winters called for help on her cell phone, then resumed the chase. She was again beaten by the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Session.
“She caught him but paid the price,” Melton said. “She was decently hurt, and needed some stitches to her head.”
Session was caught nearby by police canvassing the area. The gun was recovered.
“The key thing for me is that Michele was pretty heroic,” Melton said. “She didn’t abandon the purse. Instead of just staying at the car and calling 911, she took off after the guy and paid the price.”
Session had been recently released on parole and was on probation for a previous robbery, and was facing potential conviction under the state’s Three Strikes Law, Melton said. He said Session will have to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, meaning a minimum of 34 years.
Public defender Roberto Landeros called his client’s sentence “harsh but pretty fair.”
“Mr. Session was completely realistic about it,” he said. “He’s going to be a very old man when he’s eligible for release, but he’s not blaming it on anybody but himself.”
Melton said Session will be officially sentenced in January. His convictions include robbery plus the use of a firearm, and multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
“He never knew she was a police officer she was in plain clothes,” Melton said. “She was just some woman leaning into her car, carrying breakfast, and he chose to victimize her. She turned out to be a lot more than he’d bargained for.”
Winters still serves with the Hayward Police Department.
Copyright 2008 The Daily Review