Hillsboro man sentenced to community control for attempted felonious assault
A Hillsboro man was sentenced to community control Friday after pleading guilty to a bill of information charging him with attempted felonious assault.
Hunter Hacker, 24, of Hillsboro was originally charged with aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony; and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them, a first-degree misdemeanor, following a Highland County grand jury’s January session.
According to court records, Hacker pleaded guilty in March to an amended charge of attempted felonious assault, a third-degree felony, with the state agreeing to dismiss the indictment.
Court records and comments at Hacker’s sentencing indicate the charge stemmed from an alleged incident in February 2023, where Hacker was the driver in a motor vehicle accident in Highland County. Both Hacker and the victim in this case were reportedly injured. Although the original indictment and some records allege that alcohol was a factor, defense attorney Jeffrey Meadows argued that Hacker reportedly “swerved to miss a deer.”
During Friday’s sentencing hearing, Meadows said that Hacker had no criminal record but was a hardworking individual with the support of many family members, friends and coworkers.
“In 28 yea’s of doing this, through 25 counties, I’ve never seen a better candidate for community control,” Meadows told the judge.
Hacker also addressed the judge in tears, saying the date of the offense “haunts me.
“If I could go back in time and change everything about that day, I would in a heartbeat,” he said. “I find it hard to forgive myself for this pain I have caused.”
Hacker added that he would be “100-percent compliant” if the judge granted community control.
Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss ultimately did impose a three-year term of community control, after speaking out against the plea deal in the case.
“I’m going to be real frank with you here,” Coss told the defendant. “I have some real problems regarding this plea agreement because in the court’s opinion, it appears you were given a break because you have a case in which the victim is your friend. I see other cases come before the court where it was a stranger that was hit, and the state’s recommendation is not community control. There’s even some indications of this in the [pre-sentence] report, which is troublesome to the court.”
Coss said he had “severe misgivings about this case” and would sentence Hacker to the recommended community control term but “not feel good about it.
“In my view, a person shouldn’t get a break based on the fact that it was a friend they hurt or a family member, rather than a third person, and I think that’s what’s happened here,” the judge said. “Nevertheless, that’s the state’s prerogative if that’s what they wish to do, and they did.”
In addition to the three years of community control, Coss imposed a 10-day jail sentence to provide “some accountability,” ordered Hacker to attend a driver’s intervention program and fined Hacker $2,500.
Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.