Cedar County District Court records say Charles Johnston, of Belvidere, Illinois, was sentenced Friday in Tipton. He'd pleaded guilty to assault on an officer and four counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors dropped charges of operating while intoxicated and attempted murder in return for his pleas.
Authorities say Johnston fired several shots on Jan. 11, 2018, at a rest area and at a semitrailer at a gas station and then at an Iowa state trooper. A court document says Johnston had become obsessed over a family supposedly killed in a collision with a semi and that he wanted to retaliate against a truck driver or truck drivers.
Johnston had been teaching psychology at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois.