BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio (WDTN) – The man responsible for the shooting death of a 16-year-old Jackson Center boy has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Evan John Hoffman, 20, of Bloom Center, appeared earlier this week in Logan County Common Pleas Court on charges of reckless homicide with a gun specification and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
According to the Bellefontaine Examiner, Hoffman had admitted shooting Branden Doseck of Jackson Center, in the early morning hours of Dec. 27. During the underage drinking party that night, a fight broke out involving Doseck, and he was asked to leave. He went to his family’s Jackson Center home before going back to the party with his older brother and other adults with the intent of fighting, according to our partners at the Sidney Daily News.
Doseck was shot in the abdomen with a shotgun slug after forcing entry into the home. Hoffman admitted in the 911 call to shooting Doseck in self-defense. When Logan County Sheriff’s Deputies and Indian Lake EMS responded to the scene, at 6089 County Road 21, they found Doseck with a gunshot wound and immediately transported him to Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine, where he was then pronounced dead.
Hoffman has also admitted supplying alcohol for various parties at his home and on at least one prior occasion having sex with a 15-year-old girl, according to the Examiner. As part of the sentence for that admission, he will be labeled a Tier II sex offender and be required to register his address with authorities for the next 25 years, according to the Sidney Daily News.
The Bellefontaine Examiner reported the Logan County Prosecutor’s Office consulted Doseck’s family prior to making the plea deal that cut a possible 10 years from the maximum sentence and the family agreed with the deal to find closure.
“It’s been really hard to deal with and everyone is trying to manage the best we can. We came to the decision that we don’t have to keep dragging this out; we can find a way to heal,” Branden’s stepfather said in court Monday. “Whether it’s five years or 50 years, it’s not enough. A life sentence isn’t enough; it won’t bring (Branden) back.”
During a hearing in Bellefontaine Municipal Court last week, Judge Ann E. Beck, who imposed an original six-month sentence after the defendant pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor furnishing alcohol charges just days after his arrest, added six more months of local jail time and stiffed the financial penalty, reported the Examiner.
His prison sentence won’t begin until February when he completes that sentence, O’Connor said.
Municipal court records also show a total of $4,900 in fines and court costs in that case.
Judge Mark O’Connor, in common pleas court, left the issue of restitution for the cost of Doseck’s funeral open for consideration.
