(LOGAN, Ohio) — 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 today.
Steven Hardbarger, 45, of Logan, 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 today on the following counts:
- 1 count of kidnapping, a first-degree felony (F1)
- 1 count of attempted aggravated murder, F1
- 15 counts of felonious assault, F1 and F2
- 1 count of assaulting a police dog, F4
- 1 count of discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises, F2
- 2 counts of vandalism, F4
- 1 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. A preliminary hearing is expected next week for the felony case.
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.
