Man guilty of shooting at Hubbard cop, jury says

WARREN

A jury in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court found Jeff Irby, 26, of Youngstown and Indianapolis, Ind., guilty Friday of firing gunshots at a Hubbard police officer last October while fleeing from a traffic stop.

The jury deliberated about 30 minutes before deciding Irby was guilty of all charges — felonious assault involving a police officer, resisting arrest, being a felon in possession of a firearm, improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence and carrying a concealed weapon.

He could get about 25 years in prison when Judge Andrew Logan sentences him Jan. 27. He turned down a plea deal offered to him last month calling for 15 years in prison.

Patrolman D.J. Dripps testified on Wednesday that he made a traffic stop on a car at the Circle K store on West Liberty Street at 11:45 a.m. Dec. 14. Within moments, the passenger door opened, and a man took off running through the back yards on Hager Street, so Dripps chased him on foot while another officer secured the driver.

At some point in the chase, the man turned part way back toward Dripps and fired between three and seven times at him, but the officer took cover behind a tree and wasn’t injured.

Read more about the case in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.