A Deerfield Township man has been indicted on felony charges after deputies say he shot two people in a moving vehicle near Sycamore Road and Hickory Drive last month. Randall Hartman, 64, has remained in jail since his August 27 arrest, and a grand jury has now formally charged him in connection with the shooting.
What Happened on Sycamore Road
Warren County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to reports of a shooting near the intersection of Sycamore Road and Hickory Drive in Deerfield Township shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 27, according to WHIO-TV. Emergency responders found two victims with non-life-threatening injuries; one was treated and released at the scene, while the other was transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the outlet reported. That hospital operates Greater Cincinnati's only adult Level I trauma center, treating thousands of acute emergency cases each year, according to Movers & Makers.
Hartman was initially arrested and charged by law enforcement with two counts of felonious assault and one count of discharging a firearm over a public roadway, per the same WHIO-TV report. Public detention logs show he was formally processed into Warren County Jail custody on August 28. As reported by WKRC, a grand jury has since indicted Hartman on charges including felonious assault and discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises for allegedly shooting the two people while they were in a moving vehicle.
Sheriff's Office Says No Ongoing Threat
In an official update following the arrest, the Warren County Sheriff's Office stated that the shooting on Sycamore Road was an isolated event and that there was no ongoing threat to the general public, the station's report noted. The incident unfolded in Deerfield Township, the most populous jurisdiction in Warren County, spanning 16 square miles with over 40,000 residents and more than 1,000 local businesses, according to Deerfield Township.
What Ohio Law Says About the Charges
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.11, felonious assault committed with a deadly weapon is classified as a second-degree felony, carrying a statutory minimum prison term of 2 to 8 years and potential fines up to $15,000, according to Patituce & Associates. Separately, Ohio Revised Code Section 2923.162 designates discharging a firearm upon, over, or near a public road or highway that creates a substantial risk of physical harm as its own felony offense, the firm explains.
Warren County has seen a similar case before. A 21-year-old defendant was sentenced to 14 to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder in a shooting involving an occupied car, according to the Warren County Prosecutor's Office. It remains unclear whether Hartman knew either victim or what led to the shooting, and it is not yet known whether additional firearm specifications will be pursued when the case reaches arraignment in Warren County Common Pleas Court.
Hoodline has previously covered other violent crime cases in the area, including a Deerfield Township man who received 18 years to life after mercy killing claim and a nearby Mason standoff tied to shooting and dog killings.
