A 35-year-old man who over nine months repeatedly verbally and physically lashed out at law enforcement officers, a prosecutor and a judge in Carver County received a sentence this week of more than 18 years. That sentence is getting tacked on to an earlier term of nearly 13 years.

Travis C. Andersen's numerous convictions date back to 2022 and cover offenses including harassment, escape from custody, false imprisonment and assaults on and threats to law enforcement officers and a judge.

"Every day, these members of the law enforcement community put themselves in harm's way while serving the needs of public safety," County Attorney Mark Metz said in a statement issued Thursday. "These public servants should never have their lives threatened or be subject to violent assaults."

Andersen, of Chaska, has been charged in seven cases, and convicted and sentenced in each one, according to court records. Andersen, who received credit for time already served, is now locked up for the next 18¾ years and is expected to be on supervised release for another 6¼ years after that, according to prison records.

The cases outline repeated defiance — in words and actions — against authority. Among his offenses: harassing a prosecutor, threatening to kill two sheriff's deputies working in the jail, repeatedly directing angry and profane language at a judge and spitting in the faces of two deputies working courtroom security.

He also slammed the door of a court holding cell on a deputy's foot in November 2022, trapping the deputy there long enough to allow Andersen to escape into a parking lot, where he tried to flee in a county employee's private vehicle.

Another deputy confronted Andersen, who hit the officer in the face. An off-duty jail deputy stepped in, tackled Andersen and brought him back into custody.

Court records show that Andersen's criminal behavior stretches back to 2006 and includes six convictions for assault, including one attack on a law enforcement officer, two for obstructing law enforcement, two for violating a court order for protection, and one each for robbery, terroristic threats and domestic abuse.

"Because of Mr. Andersen's repeated violent conduct as a career offender, the Carver County Attorney's Office pursued every charge to its legal and just conclusion," Metz's statement continued. "Mr. Andersen is fully accountable for his violent acts, and this significant sentence helps protect all citizens from future harm."