Ohio officer jailed for lie about being shot during traffic stop

NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio (AP) — A now-fired Ohio police officer has been sentenced to three months in jail for shooting himself and falsely claiming he’d been shot during a traffic stop.

The Times Reporter in New Philadelphia reports a judge on Monday also sentenced former Newcomerstown officer Bryan Eubanks to community service and fines and restitution totaling about $4,500. He could face prison if he violates his two-year parole.

The 38-year-old Eubanks apologized in court. His attorney says the shooting was a suicide attempt and that Eubanks’ actions resulted from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his police work.

Authorities say Eubanks claimed people in a car shot him in the arm during a traffic stop in April. Eubanks later confessed the lie.

He pleaded guilty to charges including inducing panic and tampering with evidence.