By Wayne Gates
Michael Hall will go to prison for 20 years for shooting at sheriff’s deputies last month. He pleased guilty to attempted murder and other charges before Common Pleas Judge Scott Gusweiler on Oct. 15.
Hall was sentenced to ten years for Attempted Murder, with seven years added for using a gun while committing the crime. He was also sentenced to 18 months for Failing to Comply With and Order or Signal of a Police Officer and 18 months for Having Weapons Under Disability.
Judge Gusweiler ordered all sentences to be served consecutively, which add up to 20 years. Hall will also serve an additional 1,042 days in prison for violating community control.
Hall was pulled over near Mt. Orab for an equipment violation on Sept. 16. Brown County Sheriff Gordon Ellis told The News Democrat last month that Hall initially pulled into a driveway on New Harmony Salem road for the deputy, but then took off when the deputy left his vehicle.
A press release from the BCSO said that Hall “fled through a yard and back onto the roadway. The suspect vehicle reached speeds around 80 miles per hour during the pursuit.”
The situation got more serious from there.
“When a second deputy entered into the pursuit the male driver began shooting at the deputies, striking the lead vehicle,” the press release said.
Ellis said that at least five shots were fired out the window of the Hyundai SUV, presumably by Hall.
“We recovered a pistol with at least five rounds spent. We found five empty casings,” he said.
“We also have one cruiser that has a bullet hole in the grille. The other rounds that (Hall) fired went somewhere. Imagine the risk of that. When you are firing from a moving vehicle, bullets still go somewhere and they may hit targets you didn’t intend to hit.”
Ellis had high praise for the deputies involved in the pursuit, Corporal Eric Lang and Deputy Brandon Johnson.
“They were as professional and as focused as anyone could be. It was a tense situation and they handled themselves masterfully,” he said.
Ellis also said that the decision to run from police officers is never a good one.
“Sometimes fatalities happen as a result of this. It’s just not worth the risk,” he said. “When the lights come on behind you, it’s always better to pull over. Nothing good is going to happen when you try to flee a police officer. The best thing that can happen is that you are going to get more charges. The worst thing that can happen is you put yourself and everyone around you at great risk,” Ellis said.
Hall eventually wrecked his vehicle, which ended the pursuit. He and his passenger, Daniel Allen, were both taken to Mt. Orab Mercy and treated before being released into the custody of the BCSO.
Allen faces one charge of Having a Weapon Under Disability, a third degree felony. He is in the Brown County Jail on a $50 thousand bond.
