Several individuals were recently recognized for their actions surrounding the successful prosecution of the case involving the Dec. 20, 2020 shooting of Ohio Wildlife investigator Kevin Behr. From left to right, Highland County Wildlife Officer Matt Roberts, Warren County Wildlife Officer Jason Keller, Investigator Steven Payne, Clinton County Prosecutor Andrew McCoy, Retired Investigator Kevin Behr, Kathy Garza-Behr, Lt. Doug Eastes, Major Brett Prickett and Wildlife Unit B Supervisor David Warner. Also recognized but not present, Office Administrator Kelly Shoemaker, Asst. Prosecutors David Milender and Danielle Sollars, former Asst. Prosecutor John Kaspar, Detective Sgt. Robert Gates, and Wildlife Investigator Joel Buddelmeyer.
Submitted photo
WILMINGTON — Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office and Clinton County Sheriff’s Office staff were recently recognized for their actions surrounding the successful prosecution of the case involving the Dec. 20, 2020 shooting of Ohio Wildlife investigator Kevin Behr.
Behr sustained life-threatening injuries after being shot by Brian R. Liming while in the performance of his duties enforcing Ohio’s wildlife laws.
Wildlife officers were investigating a deer poaching complaint in the area of Macedonia Road and Martinsville Road when the shooting occurred. According to authorities, Liming had exited the vehicle he was in, went into a wooded area where Behr was, and fired a shot to chase out a buck deer they heard was in the area.
The subsequent investigation and successful prosecution of this incident required the efforts of both agencies, according to authorities.
Wildlife District Five Law Operations Supervisor, Eric Lamb, made the presentation and said, “It is in part by your actions that justice was served for the State of Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, and the Behr family. The work you contributed to this effort makes you worthy of recognition with the presentation of a District Five Law Enforcement Challenge Coin.”
Retired investigator Behr and his wife, Kathy, were present at the recognition and presented tokens of appreciation. Behr retired in the summer of 2023 due to his injuries and continues to recover.
Liming was convicted in Clinton County Common Pleas Court of felony assault and misdemeanor hunting charges related to the shooting and sentenced to 54 months of incarceration. Liming was also convicted and sentenced on federal charges relating to the case. The federal sentence of nine years and 364 days in prison will run consecutively to the state sentence.
