A Commerce City police officer accused of shooting himself last year after first reporting that he had been attacked during a traffic stop pleaded guilty Friday and was sentenced to probation.

Kevin Lord, 51, admitted to evidence tampering, a Class 6 felony, and false reporting, a misdemeanor, court records show.

Sue Lindsay, spokeswoman for the Adams County district attorney, said he will serve three years on probation and must complete 500 hours of community service.

“The terms of this plea agreement and sentence will assure that Mr. Lord will never be allowed to be a police officer again,” District Attorney Dave Young said in a statement.

Young said probation would have been a likely sentence even if Lord had been convicted. He also was charged initially with attempting to influence a public servant, a more serious Class 4 felony.

“This was a very difficult investigation that no one in law enforcement would want to ever encounter again,” Young added.

Lord entered the plea Friday morning during what originally was scheduled as a motions hearing heading into a trial, which was slated to begin in July. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges in March.

He also was ordered to undergo mental health evaluation and treatment.

The eight-year veteran of the department reported Nov. 8 that he had been shot in the torso after stopping a suspicious vehicle near the 9700 block of Peoria Street. He was hospitalized and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.

At the time, investigators said Lord’s bulletproof vest saved his life. Further investigation led to Lord’s arrest Nov. 13.

On Nov. 8, Lord reported seeing a suspicious Nissan pickup and said that he was going to stop the driver. He then reported he had been shot. He said that he fired several shots at the vehicle after the driver shot him, providing investigators with a suspect description and phony information on the car he was said to have stopped.

The day before Lord’s arrest, Commerce City and state and federal officials announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

“My actions have failed this department,” Lord told an Adams County judge after pleading guilty, according to Denver7.