A Carbon County man was sentenced on Tuesday to a long state prison term for striking a Jim Thorpe police officer with his car as he was directing traffic. He also was sentenced on charges of illegal recording and for his part in a fight at the county prison.

Robert W. Monroe, 53, of Towamensing Trails, Albrightsville, was sentenced to four to nine years in a state prison and also faces large restitution bills.Monroe previously pleaded guilty in three pending cases including the one involving the police officer.Monroe pleaded to one count each of aggravated assault with a vehicle-while driving under the influence of a controlled substance, accidents involving death or serious injury, both felony threes, and DUI of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.In that case Monroe was charged by state police at Lehighton with striking Officer Joseph David as he directed traffic around a disabled vehicle along Route 209 near the Jim Thorpe and Nesquehoning line in Nesquehoning. The incident occurred on Nov. 30, 2011.David was assisting Nesquehoning police with the disabled vehicle when he was struck. After striking David, Monroe initially did not stop and left the scene, but returned a short time later. David sustained serious leg injuries that required surgery.When Monroe returned he was found to be under the influence of a controlled substance. While taking him into custody troopers found 440 discs containing fraudulent recordings of movies in his vehicle. Many of the movie titles still were in theaters at the time, in his vehicle.He pleaded to a charge of copying current movies onto discs for resale.He was committed to the county prison on the charges after failing to post bail. While at the prison he was involved in a fight that occurred among several inmates in which two correctional officers were injured. For that incident he pleaded guilty to one count each of failure to disperse and persistent disorderly conduct.Yesterday Monroe said he was sorry for his actions and expressed an apology to David and his family for the harm he caused the officer.He told Judge Joseph J. Matika, "I made the wrong choice in driving that day. I'm not a bad person and I have made changes in my life."Matika noted Monroe has a prior criminal record, including a conviction for an armed robbery.Matika also noted that Monroe has several "write-ups" at the county prison.On the charges pertaining to striking of the officer, Matika sentenced him to serve a total of 36 to 72 months with credit for 738 days already spent in jail on the charges. He was also ordered to make restitution to an insurance company for medical expenses totaling $193,381, render 100 hours of community service when he is released on parole, get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, supply a DNA sample, and pay court costs which average about $1,000.On the charge concerning the illegal recording count he was sentenced to serve 12 to 36 months consecutive to the first set of charges with the same conditions.On the two counts concerning the fight at the prison, he was sentenced to serve a total of six to 12 months in prison concurrent with the other charges. He was also ordered to pay restitution to an insurance company for medical bills of the injured corrections officers totaling $40,613, which is his share among other defendants.The state prison term will be followed by two years of state probation, Matika ruled.Monroe is also facing a civil suit filed against him by David seeking damages.