Deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office report a Enon man was arrested for two counts of felonious assault following a firearm incident, with one shot fired, Tuesday evening in the parking lot of Mad River Mountain, 1000 Snow Valley Road, Zanesfield.
No injuries were reported to the defendant or the other two individuals involved, deputies said.
The defendant, Jason M. Hall, 46, was located by deputies a short time later at his camper at the Kamp A Lot campground, 1888 S. County Road 25, Bellefontaine. He was placed under arrest about 2:20 a.m. and lodged in the Logan County Jail.
About 9:45 p.m., deputies responded to the ski resort a report from Justin Howe, 30, of Pickerington, who stated that an unknown man had threatened he and his friend with a gun. Howe told dispatchers that he had his own gun and had shot at the unknown man.
Upon arrival, deputies spoke to Howe who retrieved his weapon for deputies, a 9mm handgun, containing several live rounds. Deputies secured the firearm and continued speaking with Howe.
Howe told deputies he and his friend, a 30-year-old from Troy, had been at the bar earlier that evening and that his friend had been in a verbal argument and “a little shoving” with this same suspect. Howe said he helped to break up the confrontation and he and his friend left the bar and headed to their vehicle in the parking lot.
As the pair were loading their belongings, Howe said the suspect showed up at their vehicle in a Nissan Xterra and his friend approached the vehicle and began talking to the suspect.
Howe reported the suspect backed up his vehicle “real fast,” causing the side mirror to hit his friend and break off part of the mirror.
The suspect then allegedly got out of his vehicle and pulled out a gun and threatened to harm the pair. Howe stated he retrieved his own gun from his vehicle in his locked glove box.
Fearing for their safety, Howe stated he fired his gun once toward the suspect, but was unsure whether he hit the man or not. Deputies were able to retrieve the spent shell casing from the scene.
With the help of a ski resort manager, deputies reviewed video surveillance of the bar incident and then the parking lot incident, which deputies said coincided with Howe’s report. They also were able to determine a physical description of the suspect.
Deputies began searching for the suspect, and while patrolling at Kamp A Lot, deputies located a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect’s vehicle, noting that it had driver’s side mirror damage.
While approaching the door to Hall’s camper, deputies observed a pistol inside the camper in plain view. Hall came outside to speak with deputies, and stated that he had been at Mad River Mountain that evening.
He said he had been involved in an argument at the bar with another man, and that when he was leaving the premises, he saw the man and his friend in the parking lot. Hall stated that the two men began yelling at him, so he stopped. The defendant stated that he was shot at, and claimed that he did not have a gun at that time.
Hall was placed under arrest without further incident. Deputies are obtaining a warrant to retrieve the firearm from Hall’s camper.