CHEYENNE - Explaining that he wanted to clear his conscience, a former state trooper admitted Monday to arresting a truck driver in January as part of a plan to kill him and stage a crash in order to collect settlement money.

Franklin Joseph Ryle Jr., 42, pleaded guilty to depriving the trucker of his civil rights by kidnapping him following a traffic stop in Jan. 8 near Douglas. Ryle also admitted to carrying a handgun during the crime.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, sentencing guidelines call for Ryle to serve from 19 to 22 1/2 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer asked Ryle why he was pleading guilty, knowing that he could serve at least 19 years in prison.

"Because that's everything I did," the former trooper responded.

The 12-year Wyoming Highway Patrol veteran eventually released the truck driver after first driving him to his Douglas home.

"There's no way I could harm that guy," he told the court he remembered thinking at the time.

Ryle, who is being held in Scottsbluff, Neb., will return to court in a few months for sentencing.

Read more in Tuesday's Casper Star-Tribune.