WILMINGTON — The man found guilty of shooting a state wildlife officer has been sentenced to prison.

On Wednesday, Clinton County Common Pleas Judge John W. “Tim” Rudduck sentenced Brian Liming to four years and six months in prison. Liming was given eight days credit and will begin his prison term immediately.

Liming, 44, of Jamestown, was found guilty in November of assault, a fourth-degree felony; tampering with evidence, third-degree felony; hunting without a deer permit and hunting without a license — the latter both misdemeanors.

The charges are related to the December 2020 shooting of Kevin Behr, an officer with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Wildlife Division.

Wildlife officers were investigating a deer poaching complaint last December in the area of Macedonia Road and Martinsville Road in Clinton County 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.

Behr addressed Liming in court telling him not only the effect the shooting had on him, but also his family. Behr told him about the monthlong coma he was in and how he still has surgeries to undergo.

Liming addressed people in the court saying he “isn’t a bad guy” and hoped to be given less prison time so he could be with his kids.

Rudduck addressed Liming, saying he wasn’t being judged as to whether or not he was a bad guy. The judge said Liming was found guilty of all his offenses, highlighted his prior offenses (including domestic violence and vehicular homicide), and the severity of the situation — including Behr’s occupation as a wildlife officer.