HILLSBORO, Ohio — Jonathan Malone, who was a Highland County Sheriff's Deputy in 2022, faces a reckless homicide charge for his involvement in a shooting that left a 58-year-old Hillsboro man dead.
Malone pleaded not guilty on Thursday in court and was released on an "own recognizance bond," meaning he doesn't have to post bail or be held in jail while he waits for his case to be tried. He is currently on administrative leave.
On July 17, 2022, Richard Poulin, 58, from Hillsboro, was shot and killed by a Highland County Sheriff's Deputy.
Police allege Poulin refused to stop after deputies tried to pull him over for a traffic violation at around 2 a.m. that morning, the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation said. At one point, deputies said they used stop sticks in an attempt to stop Poulin's vehicle.
Eventually, he was shot and killed near 5760 U.S. 62 in Hillsoboro.
Law enforcement never provided additional details about the shooting beyond an initial press release explaining the events that happened before Poulin was shot and killed. Neither BCI nor the Highland County Sheriff's Office ever provided any details on why a deputy fired shots at Poulin.
On Thursday, Malone's attorney, Joshua Engel, said Poulin was originally pulled over for running a stop sign. Engel said after Poulin refused to stop, deputies chased him; when Poulin eventually stopped his vehicle, Engel said the Hillsboro man didn't follow orders to get out of his car.
According to Engel, Malone approached the car with his gun drawn and tried to break a window with his baton, but as he hit the vehicle, his gun went off and a bullet hit Poulin in the neck.
"I anticipate that we will continue to have discussions with the Attorney General's office about a possible resolution of the case," said Engel. "Hopefully we'll be able to reach some kind of satisfactory agreement. But if we don't, we're prepared to go to trial."
None of the officers involved in the shooting or the police chase were ever identified following the incident eight months ago until Malone faced charges.
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