A Butler man was sentenced to jail with immediate parole for driving drunk and crashing into a state trooper's vehicle, leading to a trooper's injury, during a three-hour vehicle pursuit in 2019.

Nicholas Alexander Massella, 25, of Butler, was sentenced Thursday by Judge William Shaffer to two to five years in jail for aggravated assault, attempts to cause serious bodily injury and DUI.

As part of his plea deal, all other 48 charges were dropped against him. After receiving credit for time already served in jail since June 2, 2019, Massella was immediately paroled.

For his DUI, Massella must also pay a $1,500 fine. His lawyer, Michael Zunder, told the court that Massella continues to receive mental health treatment.

Massella was charged after police said he allegedly ran a stop sign June 2, 2019, on North Chestnut at New Castle Street while driving north in Butler.

When Troopers Casey Fuller and Matthew Stimac initiated a traffic stop, Fuller said that he detected a strong smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle, documents said.

Fuller requested Masella exit the vehicle. However, Masella refused and fled the traffic stop, documents said.

As the chase continued onto Evans Road, troopers used a precision immobilization technique, which was successful.

When the vehicle came to rest, Masella accelerated his vehicle toward the stopped police vehicle. He then drove his truck into the driver's side of the patrol unit, causing significant damage that disabled it, documents said.

As a result of the crash, Fuller sustained injury to an upper extremity that required transport and treatment at a medical facility. Damage to the police vehicle was estimated to be $25,000 or more.

Masella allegedly fled the scene to the north and was located around 5:33 a.m., passed out behind the wheel of his truck as he parked facing westbound in the right-hand lane of SR 528 in Franklin Township. He was placed under arrest and submitted to chemical testing at Butler Memorial Hospital.