LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Mt. Sterling, Ky. man, James Clifton Barnett, 39, was sentenced today to 480 months for car jacking; attempted murder of FBI Agent; assaulting, resisting, opposing, and impeding an FBI Agent; use of a firearm during a crime of violence; and felon in possession of a firearm by District Judge Joseph M. Hood.

Barnett was designated as an armed career criminal. He was convicted by a federal jury in January of this year.

On April 7, 2005, Barnett car jacked his victim at knife-point and took off with her Ford Explorer, after the victim escaped by jumping out of the moving vehicle. Local law Enforcement attempted to arrest Barnett a few days later, but he fled from police and remained in hiding for almost a year.

In April 2006, FBI agents learned Barnett, a convicted felon, was staying with his girlfriend in Mt. Sterling, Ky. Agents obtained a search warrant and attempted to execute it on April 12, 2006. Before the agents tried to perform the search, they made contact with Barnett inside the residence and found he was armed with a Kel-Tec .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol. Barnett refused to surrender, and an eight hour stand-off ensued. During the standoff, Barnett was in constant communication with FBI negotiators.

At the end of the day, agents tried to open the back doors of the house and FBI Special Agent Brian Smith was assigned to open the doors. Barnett fired a round from his pistol through a windowpane in the interior door, in an attempt to keep the agents out. The bullet missed hitting Smith in the head by inches. After firing at Smith, Barnett surrendered and admitted that he fired at the agents at the backdoor.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert M. Duncan, Jr. and Hydee Hawkins represented the United States in the case.

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