A Tuscarawas County man who was shot by sheriff’s deputies during a Fourth of July altercation has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for resisting arrest while armed.
Joseph A. Barnhart, 41, of Wainwright, pleaded no contest to charges related to the incident. Under a plea agreement, two of the four charges were dismissed. Common Pleas Court Judge Mike Ernest convicted Barnhart of resisting arrest with a firearm specification and using weapons while intoxicated.
Barnhart will serve a total of 28 months in prison, beginning with a mandatory one-year term for the firearm specification, followed by 16 months for the resisting arrest charge, according to court records.
The charges stem from an incident at Barnhart’s residence on Wainwright Road. Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell reported that Barnhart, while intoxicated, was firing a gun at his home with family members inside. Deputies responding to the scene said Barnhart repeatedly pointed the firearm at them, prompting officers to shoot him in the arm and leg.
No deputies were injured in the confrontation.
