MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — A man charged with multiple felonies for allegedly trying to kill police officers in an August shootout was arraigned last week in Warren Count Common Pleas Court, according to the Journal-News.
Officer Dennis Jordan of the Middletown Division of Police and Christopher J. Hubbard were shot shortly before 5 p.m. Aug. 31, 2020 after a pursuit that began in the area of 18th Avenue in Middletown and ended in the 2600 block of Mason-Montgomery Road in Turtlecreek Twp.
Hubbard, 36, was indicted Dec. 21 by a Warren County grand jury for attempted murder and felonious assault for allegedly shooting Jordan, attempted aggravated murder and felonious assault for allegedly shooting at Butler County Sheriff’s deputy Mike Barger and attempted aggravated murder and felonious assault for allegedly shooting at Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper Brett Lee.
Hubbard, who is back in prison for violating his post-conviction release, was arraigned by video last week by Magistrate Andrew Hasselbach, who set bond a $1 million. A pre-trial hearing before Judge Timothy Tepe had not been set as of Friday.
Those charges also carry firearm specifications, which can add three to seven years to the sentence if Hubbard is found guilty. He also was indicted for two counts of having weapons under disability, failure to comply, improper handling of a firearms in a motor vehicle and a second-degree misdemeanor charge of assaulting a police dog.
Jordan’s K-9, Koda, attempted to apprehend Hubbard while he sat in the police cruiser. The police dog was not hit by gunfire.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said Hubbard faces a maximum sentence of more than 60 years in prison if convicted.
Jordan was shot in the arm, finger and right leg. He was released from the hospital a day later and returned to duty.
Hubbard received multiple gunshot wounds when eight officers returned fire, according to officials. He was released from University of Cincinnati Medical Center shortly after the incident and was sent back to prison.
The chase and shooting incident, which was caught on video by cruiser cameras, was investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Investigation because there were multiple jurisdictions involved. The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Butler County Sheriff’s Office and Fairfield Police Department also had a part in the incident.
Fornshell said, based on the investigation, there is no indication of wrongdoing on the part of officers. He said Hubbard shot first, striking Jordan, and eight officers returned fire. Hubbard was hit between 10 and 13 times. Video evidence made the sequence of events clear, the prosecutor said.
