Indictment filed in Hocking County officer-involved critical incident

A Hocking County man has been charged with 21 felonies, including attempted aggravated murder, for the nonfatal shooting of a sheriff’s deputy and a police K-9 during a standoff in July, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Hocking County Prosecutor Ryan Black announced last week.

Steven Hardbarger, 45, of Logan, allegedly barricaded himself inside a residence on July 30 as Hocking County Sheriff’s deputies and numerous other law enforcement agencies responded to a domestic violence call at the home. In the subsequent standoff, Hardbarger allegedly fired at officers before ultimately being taken into custody.

A bullet grazed a deputy, and a Logan police K-9 suffered a gunshot wound to the head but survived.  

A Hocking County grand jury indicted Hardbarger on the following counts:

• One count of kidnapping, a first-degree felony (F1);

• One count of attempted aggravated murder, F1;

• 15 counts of felonious assault, F1 and F2;

• One count of assaulting a police dog, F4;

• One count of discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, F2;

• Two counts of vandalism, F4; and

• One count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Several of the charges carry additional firearm specifications.

Hardbarger was previously charged in Hocking County Municipal Court and is being held at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail without bail.

The Hocking County Prosecutor’s Office asked the Ohio Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions section to assist with the case following an investigation by the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office.

The officer-involved critical incident remains under investigation by Yost’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which was requested by the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the officers’ use of force in the case.