NEW PHILADELPHIA, OH (WCMH) – A former officer with the Newcomerstown Police Department has pleaded guilty to charges that he fabricated a story about being shot in the line of duty.
Bryan Eubanks, 37, pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of inducing panic, a felony of the fifth degree
- One count of making false alarms, a felony of the fifth degree
- Two counts of tampering with evidence, felonies of the third degree
- One count of forgery, a felony of the fifth degree
- One count of workers’ compensation fraud, a misdemeanor of the first degree
Eubanks is facing the possibility of prison time, and his peace officer certification will be revoked. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Officer Bryan Eubanks originally said he was investigating a meth lab operating out of a Geo Tracker. He said the suspects shot him in the arm and drove off.
“I think he was shooting to kill me because the gun was originally pointed at my face and I moved and that’s how I got shot in the arm but yeah he was trying to kill me,” Eubanks told NBC4 after the incident, which triggered an Ohio Blue Alert and a manhunt for the two suspects.
Investigators say Eubanks made up the story after he shot himself in a failed suicide attempt.
