A Neosho man has received three back-to-back life sentences in the shootings of two Neosho police officers and firing at a state trooper in March 2007.

Adam Bridgewater, 22, was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for three charges of assault on a law enforcement officer and three concurrent life sentences for armed criminal action counts in each case, according to Newton County Prosecutor Jake Skouby.

“We’ve always considered a life sentence in Missouri as a 30-year sentence,” Skouby said. “And he has to serve 85 percent of that, so that would have meant because of his young age, he could have gotten out at about age 50 fully institutionalized and a danger to the community. Asking for, and receiving three consecutive life sentences ensures that he will get life without parole. He won’t get out of prison.”

Bridgewater is accused of shooting two Neosho police officers, Sgt. Dan Cook and Patrolman Mike Sharp, on March 16, 2007.

Cook initiated a traffic stop after recognizing Bridgewater, who had outstanding warrants stemming from a May 2005 break-in and vandalism incident at the Neosho National Fish Hatchery. Cook then noticed Bridgewater had something in his lap. The object turned out to be a weapon and the man opened fire on the officer, with Cook returning fire and shattering the back glass of Bridgewater’s SUV.

Bridgewater then fled the scene after shooting Cook in the upper left arm, with Sharp giving chase. Bridgewater then opened fire on Cook, striking the patrolman in the face through the windshield of his patrol car.

About 30 minutes later, Bridgewater was involved in a shoot-out with G.H. Hendrix, a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Bridgewater reportedly shot several times at the trooper, striking the vehicle at least five times. Hendrix was not injured in the fray.

A pair of deputies with the McDonald County Sheriff’s Department spotted the SUV on a road east of Goodman in the McNatt area. Authorities said Bridgewater rammed the deputies’ Jeep with his Blazer, then opened fire. The deputies returned fire and Bridgewater then fled on foot.

Shortly afterward, Bridgewater’s vehicle was towed to the former National Guard armory in Neosho, where authorities discovered several weapons, including an Ithaca 12-guage shotgun, a Ruger .22 caliber rifle, a Remington 20-guage shotgun, and a Harrington and Richardson 410-guage shotgun. Also discovered were two banana-style magazines loaded with .22 caliber ammunition, seven shotgun shells, .38 caliber ammo, shell casings, handcuffs, and marijuana and related paraphernalia.

Bridgewater was arrested at about 3:30 p.m. that afternoon after a brief scuffle with law enforcement agents. He was armed with a loaded .38 caliber handgun, but did not fire upon officers.

 “I think this is the appropriate sentence,” Skouby said. “We have to get it so that people don’t consider pointing a gun at a police officer. No matter how bad things are in their lives, they would never think of pointing a gun at a police officer.”

Bridgewater was also given a seven-year prison stretch on arson charges on Friday.

“He burned his girlfriend’s grandmother’s trailer the night of the ice storm in 2007,” Skouby said, referring to the Jan. 12, 2007, storm which caused widespread power outages. “The statement he made to authorities was that she had said something derogatory to him, so he burned her house down.”

Bridgewater, who entered a guilty plea in September 2008 on the charges, is currently serving a 15-year federal prison sentence on weapons violations in connection with the incident.

Skouby said he did not know if Bridgewater would complete the federal sentence first, or be sent to a Missouri Department of Corrections prison.