LAKE HAVASU CITY – A former Lake Havasu City man with a criminal history of vehicular police pursuits has been given additional time in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Michael Malerba, 55, is already serving a 20-year prison sentence for an April, 2023 incident in the Hualapai Mountains outside Kingman.
A trial jury in Feb. convicted Malerba of aggravated assault, two counts of endangerment, unlawful flight and criminal damage for striking a state Trooper with his vehicle while trying to evade capture.
Malerba was wanted at the time for three prior police pursuits that were terminated in the interest of public safety. He pleaded guilty on Friday, July 5 to felony unlawful flight for separate police chases that occurred on Feb. 9, 2022 and Feb. 14 and April 9 in 2023.
Judge Doug Camacho stacked 5.25 years more prison on top of his previous double-decade sentencing.
Dave Hawkins
