Area man pleads guilty to assaulting deputy
A Hillsboro man pleaded guilty to assault on a police officer in Highland County Common Pleas Court Wednesday, after he bit a Highland County Sheriff's Deputy who was attempting to execute an arrest warrant.
Roger Shepherd appeared in court Wednesday in the custody of the HCSO. He is currently serving five years in prison for a grand theft conviction out of Adams County.
Shepherd was represented by attorney J.D. Wagoner, and the state was represented by Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins and Assistant Highland County Prosecutor Molly Bolek.
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A grand jury indicted Shepherd on the fourth degree felony charge in December 2011, and on Wednesday he pleaded guilty to the indictment.
Collins told the court that on Oct. 19, 2011, the deputy was attempting to execute an arrest warrant on Shepherd.
"While (the deputy) was attempting to take him into custody, a scuffle broke out," Collins said, during which Shepherd allegedly bit the deputy's finger.
"It's worse than it sounds," Collins told the court, and submitted a photo of the injury to Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss.
Coss said he agreed that the injury did appear worse than it sounded. Collins said the injury drew blood and required stitches.
The state recommended that the court sentence Shepherd to 10 months in prison, to be served consecutively to the five years he is already serving on the separate charge. Collins said that for a concurrent term to be imposed it would demean the seriousness of the offense.
Wagoner acknowledged that the incident was serious because it involved violence against a police officer, but he argued that it was not the worst form of the offense.
"I'm not going to say my client is a Boy Scout," Wagoner said. "But he takes responsibility for his actions.
Shepherd told the court that he wanted to say he was sorry to the deputy.
Coss said that while the incident was not the worst form of the offense, he found that the defendant did cause physical harm and, coupled with the defendant's criminal history, the sentences needed to run consecutively. Coss followed the state's recommendation and sentenced Shepherd to 10 months in prison, to be served consecutive to the sentence he is currently serving.