By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — An Englewood man pleaded guilty to an amended charge in the Darke County Common Pleas Court via video conference. Judge Jonathan P. Hein presided.

Bradley J. Barker, 24, pleaded guilty to attempted child endangering, a misdemeanor of the second degree. Originally the case had three identical charges of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a felony of the fifth degree.

State Attorney Charles Morrison stated the victim in this case agrees with the amended plea deal in order to resolve this case. The offense occurred in May 2021 and he faces a maximum of 90 days incarceration and a $750 fine, all of which are not mandatory. Another option is community control.

Defense Attorney Patrick Mulligan spoke out about the facts of the case in order to enable the judge to get a sense of the seriousness.

“Facts are there were two very young people who were actively engaged in communication with each other. At some point my client decided to end the relationship, not because it was illegal, but because it was inappropriate. He’s embarrassed about it, understands the seriousness of the situation, and I don’t look for him to be back in the courtroom,” Mulligan said.

Morrison agreed and stated the state would not ask for any incarceration because they believe this is a probation case.

“Mr. Barker made a very poor decision while acting as an officer,” Morrison said. “However, I don’t believe he’s an active threat to the community.”

Barker was working as a Peace Officer when the communication began and had to surrender his Ohio Peace Officers Training Certificate when the case started.

Both attorneys agree Barker has learned his lesson due to the nature of the case and repercussions.

The case was deemed less serious with a less likely risk level of repeating. Judge Hein did warn Barker about the caution he should take while talking to new people as you never truly know who they are. He then sentenced Baker to 24 months of supervision that can be extended to 60 months. The supervision department will be able to determine the extent of the supervision needed and can modify the supervision to monitored time if they seem fit. He also sentenced Barker to 30 suspended days in jail with a $250 fine.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].