Man Gets 10 Years for Assault on Newport Officer

In a letter to the Orange County court that sentenced him Friday, Jeffrey Minor pledged his devotion to a life of sobriety.

He said he was sorry for dragging a Newport Beach police officer with his Porsche while trying to escape a 1998 drunk driving arrest. He said he was “sickened and embarrassed” by his actions, which came five years after he killed a man while driving drunk in Riverside County.

But Orange County Sheriff’s Department records showed that Minor, who fled to Italy while on bail for the Newport Beach crime, continued drinking even after he was arrested on an international warrant and locked up in Orange County Jail in Santa Ana. Guards cited him for drinking “pruno,” a crude wine some prisoners brew in their cells, records show.

On Friday, Orange County Judge Kazuharu Makino sentenced Minor to the maximum possible term: 10 years in prison.

By imposing the sentence, Makino granted the wishes of three sisters whose father died in a 1993 traffic collision caused by a drunken Minor. One of the sisters had pleaded for leniency at Minor’s sentencing in Riverside County. Minor was driving 70 mph at the time of the crash that killed Menno Kramer. He was sentenced to one year in jail -- but he served less than half that time -- and five years of probation.

“It does sicken me that Minor didn’t change at all after taking a life and being given leniency,” Yvonne Karney, a daughter of Kramer, wrote in a letter to the Orange County Probation Department.

Kramer and her sisters said they were distressed to learn that Minor, 34, the son of a wealthy potato grower, was driving drunk in 1998 when he was stopped for speeding in Newport Beach. Before he could be arrested, Minor jumped back in his car and drove away with 23-year-old Officer Kristen Arnold dangling through an open door. The officer was ejected when the Porsche swerved into a parked car but escaped serious injury.

After posting bail, Minor fled to Italy, where he fought extradition to Orange County for two years. He was convicted earlier this year of drunk driving and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.

Before the sentencing, Minor submitted a letter to be included in his probation report.

“I’m 100% focused and readily prepared to take each and every step to maintaining sobriety,” Minor wrote.

In March, however, Orange County Jail officials cited Minor for fighting and for drinking alcohol in custody, according to the probation report.

Tara Kramer, another of the victim’s daughters, wrote that she hopes Minor learns from his latest mistake. “What I would like more than anything would be for Jeff to be accountable for his actions and to stop making excuses and stop running from his problems,” she wrote.