Can someone summarize this article into two to three paragraphs? - A former Zanesville police sergeant was convicted of a felony and misdemeanor in Licking Country after he admitted to driving under the influence and having a weapon in the vehicle in a February 2020 shooting incident along Ohio 16. Jarred A Miracle, 40 of Zanesville, pleaded guilty to one count each improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, and operating a vehicle while under the influence, a first-degree misdemeanor.
According to Assistant Licking County Prosecutor Eric Depue, on Feb. 1, Licking County Law enforcement responded to reports of someone firing a weapon out of a moving vehicle on Ohio 16 eastbound near Marne Road in Newark. The vehicle was determined to be a 2015 Ford Fusion.
Depue said Miracle was identified as the driver of the vehicle and the front seat passenger was identified as Charles Lewis, 35, of Gnaddenhutten, a Zanesville police officer who was on medical leave at the time of the incident.
Former Zanesville Public Safety Director Kean Toney previously said in an email he learned through Zanesville Police Chief Tony Coury that Miracle gave his written registration with a 72-hour notice on Sept. 17, 2019, five months before the shooting incident. Toney wrote that a 72-hour notice is "not the manner in which to leave employment," A personnel action form found in Miracle's file shows his employment was terminated the following day.
Depue said both Miracle and Lewis appeared to be under the influence of alcohol when stopped in Muskingum County. The prosecutor said officers located two firearms in the vehicle- an AR-15 owned by Miracle and a Glock 48.380 caliber owned by Lewis. According to Depue, the Glock was located in the driver's door panel and was loaded. He said the AR- 15 was on the passenger seat.
Police reported recovering numerous .223 shell casing from inside the vehicle. Depue noted one round appeared to have been ejected into the windshield, as evidence by a crack.
Depue said Lewis and Miracle were taken into custody in Muskingum County. He noted Miracle did not have a valid concealed carry permit at the time of the incident.
During a court hearing on Monday morning in Licking County Common Pleas Court, Judge David Branstool denied a motion that Miracle be considered for intervention in lieu of conviction. He cited Miracle was not eligible, nor suitable, for the program.
Defense attorney Derrick Moorehead said his client disputed the allegation the AR-15 was found in the front of the vehicle, saying the firearm was actually located in the rear of the vehicle.
Moorehead requested Miracle be considered for community control, noting recidivism was unlikely the case. He also noted he filed a petition for driving privileges on behalf of his client. Moorehead asked Branstool to consider that aside from the shooting incident, his client was a productive citizen for his whole life.
Branstool ordered Miracle to complete three years of community control, along with chemical dependency supervision, 40 hours of community service, and a 72- hour driver intervention program. The judge also imposed a $1,500 fine, court costs, and a one-year driver's license suspension.
According to Licking County court records, Lewis is charged with one count each discharge of a firearm on prohibited premises, a third-degree felony; improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony; and using weapons while intoxicated, a first- degree misdemeanor.