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Augusta man sentenced to 16 months in prison for assaulting federal officer

The attorney for Derik Broox Wight said he was struggling with his mental health the day he assaulted a federal officer with a knife.

BANGOR, Maine — An Augusta man was sentenced to 16 months in prison and three years supervised release at U.S. District Court in Bangor on Tuesday for assaulting a federal officer with a knife in April of last year. 

Prosecutors showed a security video Tuesday of Derik Broox Wight entering the Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building in Augusta on April 20 with a knife. Wight then attacked a security officer contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service, who was working at the security screening point. Another officer at the scene then shot Wight.

Wight had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge in May 2022.

James Nixon, Wight's defense attorney, said Wight had a history of mental illness and was particularly struggling after the death of his nine-month-old son. 

The officer who Wight assaulted spoke at the sentencing Tuesday. He talked about the trauma he still struggles with following the incident, asking the judge to give him a larger sentence. 

When Wight had the chance to speak before the court, he turned to that officer to apologize for his actions. Wight added he hopes someday the officer will forgive him.

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