Associated Press - November 19, 2009 10:05 PM ET

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - The sentencing hearing is stretching into a second day for former Wyoming state trooper Franklin Ryle.

U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson started the hearing Thursday afternoon for Ryle, who kidnapped a truck driver in January in what prosecutors say was an aborted murder plan.

The hearing stretched past 7:30 p.m. before the judge adjourned it until Friday morning.

Ryle pleaded guilty in July to charges he violated the civil rights of a Wal-Mart trucker by kidnapping the man. He also admitted to carrying a firearm during the crime.

Lawyers for Ryle and the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday questioned mental health experts who examined Ryle.

Johnson says the 42-year-old Ryle faces from 19 years to 22 and one-half years in prison.

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