Standing before a judge, Paul Howell couldn't think of anything in his past that might lead to a lighter sentence for him.

"I'm a pretty bad dude," he said Friday in Natrona County District Court.

A few minutes later, Judge David Park sentenced Howell to 35 to 45 years in prison for his role in a robbery and shootout with police in November 2006.

The sentencing brought to an end a 14-month criminal case that resulted in the conviction of six men and boys for their various roles in an armed robbery at an Alcova bar and the chase that followed. During the chase, officers were fired upon dozens of times.

Howell, 30, received the stiffest punishment. He is the oldest of the group and has been described as its ringleader.

At Friday's court hearing, Howell was only scheduled to plead no contest to five charges, including attempted second-degree murder. But in an unusual move, after Howell entered the pleas, his attorney asked Park to go ahead with sentencing.

Typically, a sentencing hearing comes several weeks, or even a few months, after a conviction to allow time for the creation of a report on the defendant's history and impact on his victims.

But when Park advised Howell that the report might include something in his background that could mitigate the sentence, the defendant was unmoved.

"I don't know of any," he told the judge.

Howell and 17-year-old Jonathan Milligan fired between 30 and 40 shots at officers during the chase, according to District Attorney Michael Blonigen. One of those officers, Roger Burns of the Casper Police Department, asked the judge to give Howell the maximum sentence.

"I believe they would have shot at anybody in the public to try and get away," Burns said.

Howell declined to make a statement before sentencing. But public defender Wyatt Skaggs, said his client wanted the court to know the bartender at the robbery would have testified that Howell didn't make him feel threatened.

Howell's no contest plea came less than three weeks before his trial was scheduled to begin. It came as part of an agreement with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid the possibility of life behind bars.

"I think it was probably in the best interest of both sides to reach an agreement," Blonigen said after the hearing.

On Nov. 29, 2006, Howell and the five others traveled to Wyoming from Craig, Colo. in a stolen pickup, Blonigen said. The group robbed the Sunset Grill at gunpoint, and then headed toward Casper on Highway 220. A Natrona County sheriff's deputy tried to pull over the pickup, and the chase began when the truck sped off.

The pursuit continued through Mills and into Casper, before ending in a muddy Bar Nunn field.

The five other defendants accepted plea agreements with prosecutors and were sentenced last year. Milligan received a 28 to 45 year sentence. Michael Garren, the 20-year-old getaway driver, got 20 to 30 years.

Judges recommended the state's boot camp program for Steven Liljedahl, 17, James Gore, 18, and Daniel Merwin, 17. The three were not accused of shooting at police.

Proceedings against Howell were delayed while he underwent mental evaluations in Evanston and Cheyenne. Afterward, his attorney conceded Howell was competent to stand trial.

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.