MOUNT VERNON — The man who allegedly pointed a gun at a Fredericktown police officer in June has been indicted on two additional felony charges related to the incident.
A Knox County grand jury indicted Darren Price, 38, of Howard, on charges of felonious assault and a related firearm specification last Monday.
Grand jury meetings are held in private. Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville declined to discuss the specific evidence presented during the July 26 session, but noted it was new since July 6, when a grand jury indicted Price on four other charges related to the June 17 incident.
“There were a couple interviews that were done after the arrest that gave us some information about things that Price had said and done at the time of the incident,” McConville said.
The legal threshold for felonious assault is “(causing) or (attempting) to cause serious physical harm to another … by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance,” according to the Ohio Revised Code. Even if deadly harm is not the result of an incident, the charge still applies.
“If you’re using a deadly weapon, there’s an inferred intent that you’re going to cause physical harm,” McConville said. “So even if you attempt to do so and miss, or attempt and something goes wrong, your intent – because you’re using a deadly weapon – was to cause serious physical harm.”
Felonious assault is traditionally classified as a second-degree felony, McConville said. But the charge is elevated to a first-degree felony if the victim in the case is a peace officer.
The grand jury on July 26 also indicted Price on the firearm specification in this case, as it is alleged he pointed a .25 caliber pistol at Fredericktown Patrolman Josh Jones during the incident.
Price pleaded not guilty to the new charges on July 28, according to court records.
He has also pleaded not guilty to the four other charges stemming from this incident: having weapons under disability (a third-degree felony), failure to obey the order or signal of a police officer (a third-degree felony), improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle (a fourth-degree felony), and tampering with evidence (a third-degree felony).
Price is scheduled to have an oral hearing on this case Aug. 18 in the Knox County Court of Common Pleas. There is a jury trial slated for Sept. 14.
If found guilty, Price would face 3 to 11 years on the felonious assault charge, McConville said. The firearm specification would add “an additional, mandatory three years to whatever the sentence is,” he said.
Price would face up to three years in prison on the third-degree felony charges, McConville said previously, and up to 18 months on the fourth-degree charge.
“By law, the fleeing-and-eluding must be run consecutive to any other sentence,” he said.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate this case, McConville said. New evidence could mean additional charges down the road.
The June incident, which marked Knox County’s first police shooting since 2014, began with a mid-day traffic stop. Jones pulled Price over on Upper Fredericktown-Amity Road for an apparent registration violation.
As Jones approached Price’s vehicle, Price appeared to pull a gun on Jones, who immediately retreated and fired several shots. Price then sped off, and Jones followed. The pursuit reached 100 miles per hour at one point, as Jones followed Price through Knox County’s northern backroads.
The suspect eventually lost the officer near the Richland County line and the pursuit was terminated. Less than two hours later, Price’s vehicle was found abandoned in Richland County.
Price remained at-large for a week. Local and state authorities worked to locate and apprehend him in a North Liberty residence on June 24. He has since been held at the Knox County Jail.
A grand jury met in special session July 6 to consider evidence gathered by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Fredericktown Police Department and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
The jury found Jones’ use of deadly force was justified as self-defense, which cleared him of any wrongdoing. Jones returned to work on July 9 following an internal investigation by the FPD’s use-of-force review board.
