Jury trial set for man charged with shooting wildlife officer

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WILMINGTON — A jury trial has been scheduled for a man accused of shooting a state wildlife officer.

Brian Liming, 44, of Jamestown, on Monday in Clinton County Common Pleas Court was scheduled for a three-day jury trial starting on November 8. A final pretrial is scheduled for October 12.

Liming faces four charges including assault (felony 4), tampering with evidence (felony 3), hunting without a deer permit (misdemeanor 3), and hunting without a license (misdemeanor 3).

Liming is one of three men charged in relation to the shooting of Wildlife Investigator Kevin Behr of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in December.

Liming also faces two federal charges in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio including “unlawful transport of firearms” and “seizure, forfeiture and disposition of a firearm.”

Liming’s attorney, Blaise Katter, said a plea deal is expected to take place soon in federal court.

Wildlife officers were investigating a deer poaching complaint in the area of Macedonia Road and Martinsville Road in the Martinsville area when the shooting occurred.

According to authorities, Liming had exited the vehicle he was in, went into a wooded area where Behr was, and fired a shot at what he thought was a deer.

“Mr. Liming reports he heard someone screaming so he ran and he found a man with a gunshot wound. The man yelled at Mr. Liming to call 911,” the affidavit states.

Liming allegedly ran out of the woods, told another suspect to call 911, then he “got nervous and fled the scene on foot.”

He later came out of the woods and he turned himself in to law enforcement officials.

Liming was also charged with allegedly driving under suspension and violating a traffic control device offense this week in Clinton County Municipal Court.

The other two men originally charged in the case were Bryan Achtermann, 36, of Midland, and Thomas Davis, 35, of Jamestown.

Achtermann entered a no-contest plea to charges of hunting without a license and hunting deer without a permit. He was sentenced to 20 days suspended jail time must take part in supervised probation, must forfeit his firearm to authorities, and is prohibited from hunting for six years.

Davis’ charge of complicity was dismissed upon the payment of costs, according to Municipal Court records.

Reach John Hamilton at 937-382-2574.

By John Hamilton

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