Trappman ▲

MILTON — David William Trappman, whose decision to encourage two pit bulls to attack a pair of Santa Rosa County sheriff's deputies led to the injury of an officer and the death of a dog, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The sentence mandates that Trappman serve at least five years behind bars, the State Attorney's Office announced Friday.

Trappman, 28, was convicted Sept. 27 on charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.

Deputies arrived at Trappman's home in Milton on Oct. 9, 2017, to serve an arrest warrant for felony drug possession on his wife, Nickole Trappman.

The officers saw Nickole Trappman run into a back door of the home and tried to follow. David Trappman initially tried to hamper the deputies' efforts to enter the home.

When one of the deputies warned Trappman he could be placed under arrest for obstruction, Trappman replied, "That's fine, I hope you don't get bitten by my dogs when you go in," his arrest report said.

The lawmen convinced Trappman to stay outside the house with his dogs, but when the search for Nickole started, Trappman entered with the pit bulls.

He "agitated the dogs and subsequently gave them commands, causing one of them to attack a deputy," a press release from the State Attorney's Office said.

The deputy was bitten on the back of his left thigh and suffered injuries that included lacerations and puncture wounds that left permanent scarring, according to reports.

The other deputy "fatally shot the dog" as it continued its attack "to prevent any further injury" to his partner or himself, the original arrest report said. Two small children and a woman saw the entire episode, it said.

Nickole Trappman was found hiding under a laundry basket and arrested. Santa Rosa County Court records do not indicate an adjudication in her case.