SENECA COUNTY | Deputies Exonerated by Grand Jury in July Fatal Shooting

TIFFIN, Ohio — A Seneca County grand jury declined Thursday to indict any officers involved in the fatal July 7 shooting of a Bloomville man, according to a news release from the Seneca County Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutor’s office said the grand jury reviewed an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, along with body-camera footage, dash-camera video and audio from law enforcement. Jurors concluded that no criminal charges were appropriate, determining the officers acted in self-defense and in defense of others, the release said.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office shared the prosecutor’s Nov. 12 press release on its Facebook page on Friday, Nov. 13.

Press release from Seneca County Prosecutor Derek W. DeVine, Nov. 12, 2026. (Seneca County Prosecutor’s Office)

WTOL 11 reported the prosecutor’s announcement Friday morning. 13abc updated its earlier account of the shooting Friday and reported that the county prosecutor announced Thursday that the grand jury found the law enforcement officials were legally justified in using deadly force in self-defense and defense of others.

The shooting happened near the intersection of State Route 67 and Township Road 8. According to the prosecutor’s office, Seneca County sheriff’s deputies and a Bloomville police officer had stopped Jeffrey R. Sergent, 43, of Bloomville, to arrest him on a felony domestic violence warrant.

The prosecutor’s office said law enforcement vehicles blocked Sergent’s truck from the front and back, and that he refused repeated commands to exit the vehicle and turn off the motor. After about nine minutes, a deputy broke the driver’s side window to forcibly remove him, the release said. Prosecutors said Sergent then accelerated rapidly in reverse, nearly hitting officers, before driving forward and striking a deputy. Two deputies fired their weapons into the truck as it accelerated toward the deputy in the roadway, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Sergent died of gunshot wounds to his arm and head. Seneca County Coroner Dr. Zachary West previously ruled the death a homicide, a medical determination that does not, by itself, establish criminal liability. On Aug. 27, the coroner’s office said a completed review found toxicology results positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office said at the time that deputies and Bloomville police attempted to stop Sergent’s pickup at 10:17 a.m. July 7. Sheriff Fredrick W. Stevens said deputies negotiated with Sergent for about 10 minutes and told him he was under arrest, but he refused to get out of the vehicle. The sheriff’s office said Sergent pulled several knives from his pocket during the encounter but did not leave the truck, then rolled up the windows and refused to speak. One deputy was treated for a hand injury caused by broken glass, the sheriff’s office said.

In a July 14 news release, Stevens said deputies did not draw their weapons until after Sergent reversed, struck a guardrail and drove toward officers. He said sounds heard on body-camera video before the gunfire came from a window-punch tool, an asp breaking the window, and the vehicle hitting the guardrail. Stevens also said deputies knew Sergent had a felony record that included Ohio convictions for third-degree felony escape and assault, which the sheriff’s office said were tied to a 2018 domestic-violence arrest involving a Seneca County deputy.

The sheriff’s office said the deputies involved were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the BCI investigation. Friday’s reports did not say whether those deputies have returned to duty. The names of the deputies who fired were not included in the prosecutor’s account as reported Friday, or in the sheriff’s earlier public statements reviewed for this article.

WTOL previously reported that Sergent’s wife, Christine, described him as a husband, stepfather and grandfather and said he had struggled with anxiety, PTSD and other mental health concerns. She told WTOL she called the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line on July 4 seeking help and resources. A friend, Jacob Kendrick, told WTOL he believed Sergent should have complied with orders to get out of the vehicle but that authorities should have been able to de-escalate the situation.

Featured image: The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office and Jail sign in Tiffin, Ohio. File photo supplied to The Fostoria Free Press, overlaid with text for this article.

Sources:
Seneca County Prosecutor’s Office news release, as reported by WTOL 11 and 13abc, announcing a grand jury decision from Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026
WTOL 11, Heather Schramm, “No charges for Seneca County deputies in fatal July shooting, grand jury rules,” published 9:10 a.m. EST Nov. 13, 2026: https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/no-charges-for-seneca-county-deputies-in-fatal-july-shooting-grand-jury-rules/512-3c923ae9-46fa-43f5-afee-0c9891a103ec
13abc (WTVG), WTVG Staff, article updated 8:39 a.m. EST Nov. 13, 2026 (originally published July 7, 2026, at 1:12 p.m. EDT, same URL): https://www.13abc.com/2026/07/07/deputies-fatally-shoot-man-during-arrest-seneca-county/
13abc Facebook post, 9:30 a.m. ET Nov. 13, 2026: https://www.facebook.com/13abc/posts/pfbid06g3fdke2Cx7bzRu95tXDz5Q7V9oNKGXVGFUr2NEQ73VHztq2PfWGZaJKwWf81esMl
WTOL 11, Victoria Dugger, “Seneca County deputies fatally shoot man during attempted arrest near Bloomville, sheriff says,” published 1:58 p.m. EDT July 7, 2026, updated 6:35 p.m. EDT July 7, 2026: https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/seneca-county-deputy-shooting-bloomville/512-6c9d8f27-64e0-47c9-99f3-3f6e84679ba7
WTOL 11, Victoria Dugger, “Coroner completes review of Bloomville man killed after deputy shooting,” published 5:25 p.m. EDT Aug. 27, 2026, updated 6:59 a.m. EDT Aug. 28, 2026: https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/jeffrey-sergent-coroner-homicide-ruling/512-2cf3e2f7-40a2-4f38-9cba-0117df538448
Seneca County Sheriff Fredrick W. Stevens news release, July 14, 2026, as published by Crawford County Now at 3:28 p.m. that day: https://crawfordcountynow.com/local/seneca-county-sheriff-releases-body-cam-footage-of-officer-involved-shooting/
Featured image: Seneca County Sheriff’s Office and Jail sign, file photo supplied to The Fostoria Free Press