CHEYENNE -- Calling the crime “corrosive,” a judge sentenced a former state trooper to 15 years in prison Friday for kidnapping a truck driver while on duty.

With his actions, Franklin "Joe" Ryle Jr. created fear and distrust in the community, U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson said.

“We have to recognize the corrosive effect an incident such as this has on the trust we place on these officers to treat the public fairly,” the judge said.

Even while apologizing for his crimes, Ryle couldn’t explain why he plotted to kill a Wal-Mart driver as part of a scheme to stage a crash and collect a settlement from the company.

“I just don’t understand how I got to where I am right now,” Ryle said, his voice cracking with emotion as he stood inside a federal courtroom.

Ryle, 42, stopped truck driver Richard Smidt on Jan. 8 near Douglas. He arrested him on a bogus warrant, but released Smidt about an hour later after explaining he’d made a mistake.

According to testimony from the hearing, Ryle had obsessed about the plot for weeks leading up to the crime, even carrying a hammer in his patrol car so he could fake his own injuries, according to testimony from the hearing. But he also left gaping holes in his plans, like how exactly he planned to carry out the murder.

“I don’t know why I did it,” he said. “I don’t have any idea.”

Prosecutors say Ryle also contemplated killing his wife in the same crash, although he was never charged with that crime.

Johnson sentenced Ryle to fewer years in prison than called for in federal sentencing guidelines. In explaining that decision, the judge cited the positive contributions Ryle made as a trooper, as well as the stresses he was under at the time of the incident.

Ryle suffered from depression while working for the Highway Patrol, according to testimony from a counselor who treated him. He was also in a volatile marriage.

While noting those issues, Johnson said he also recognized how Ryle’s crimes damaged public perception of law enforcement. Ryle told two other officers about his plans, but neither notified anyone.

Ryle apologized to his former colleagues in law enforcement, as well as to Smidt.

“As I stand here today, I just don’t know what to say,” he told the court. “I feel like an embarrassment to my family, to the Highway Patrol and to law enforcement officers in the state and the nation.”

Speaking publicly for the first time, Smidt asked the judge to impose a 22-year prison sentence, the maximum allowed under federal sentencing guidelines. The truck driver said Ryle had taken away his trust in police.

“To me there are no excuses for his actions that night,” Smidt said. “He is the responsible person.”

Ryle’s mother-in-law, Kathy Abrams, called him an evil person who had created havoc in her family.

“I see Joe as a bully in a uniform who intimidates and very carefully calculates his plans,” she said.

Ryle’s parents offered a very different portrait, describing how their son served with honor in the Marine Corps before choosing a career in law enforcement. Ryle was a good cop who’s been demonized in the press since his arrest, they said.

“He’ll never be remembered as the state trooper who took millions of dollars off the highway,” his father, Frank Ryle, told the court.

Ryle’s parents also recalled how some of his experiences with the patrol -- particularly the death of a girl he tried to resuscitate -- began to haunt him. They initially thought marriage problems were to blame.

“It never occurred to us his job was the problem,” Frank Ryle said.

Ryle’s mental state at the time of his crimes took center stage during the eight-hour sentencing hearing. His attorneys portrayed the kidnapping as an erratic, poorly planned scheme that ended when Ryle realized he couldn’t bring himself to kill Smidt.

“None of that makes sense,” Assistant Federal Defender James Barrett said. “None of it ever will.”

In contrast, Department of Justice attorney Edward Caspar, who served as lead prosecutor, said the case involved a cold, calculated plan to commit murder. The prosecutor maintained Ryle didn’t follow through with the plot because he discovered Smidt’s truck was being tracked with a built-in GPS device.

“This is a crime that was thought about and obsessed on for weeks,” he said.

State and federal agents arrested Ryle in March. A grand jury indicted him on federal civil rights charges two months later.

In July, the 12-year patrol veteran pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Ryle will be held at a jail in Scottsbluff, Neb., until he is transferred to a federal prison. With credit for good behavior and the time he’s already served, he could be released in 11 and a half years, his attorneys said.

Reach reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com. Visit tribtown.trib.com/JoshuaWolfson/blog to read his blog.