Barrett is an 11-year agency veteran who has been assigned to road patrol the past couple of years. After the struggle, the video shows Barrett hit Schell with his taser six times.
Sheriff Gene Fischer said that at 12:17 a.m. Saturday Barrett approached Schell’s red 2001 Pontiac Sunfire parked next to a field along Wilberforce-Clifton Road between Tarbox Cemetery Road and Harbison Road.
Fischer said Barrett called for an ambulance and backup patrol after he saw the motorist unresponsive inside the car.
The video showed Barrett tried for several minutes to awaken Schell. After Schell became conscious, the video showed him struggling with Barrett inside his car.
“Could he be intoxicated? Could he be sick?” Fischer asked. “That’s why when the deputy got there, he called for an ambulance. You just don’t know. It’s never routine.
“This was an attack on a law enforcement officer. The guy is just out there doing his job. It’s a sad situation.”
The pair then tumbled onto the road and wrestled as Schell struck Barrett with a few punches. Eventually, the men rose to their feet, and as Schell stood by his car, Barrett deployed the Taser into Schell and repeatedly hit the trigger.
“At that point in time, you just want to take him into custody,” Fischer said.
Schell is listed at 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds, Fischer said.
In 2007, Schell won two matches at the Ohio Division II state wrestling tournament and finished eighth in the 130-pound division, according to Greenon’s wrestling and the Ohio High School Athletic Association websites. He had a 37-3 record that season. He was also a 2008 state qualifier, though he did not place.
Barrett and Schell were both treated for their injuries and released from Greene Memorial Hospital. Schell’s blood-alcohol reading was not immediately available. Records noted that Schell was intoxicated, and that deputies found an open container of vodka in his car.
Documents said that Schell later told deputies that he was angry with Barrett because he recognized him from the Greene County Jail, where Barrett previously worked as a corrections officer.
Barrett remains off-duty, though Fischer said he expects him to return relatively soon.
Schell is charged with aggravated felonious assault on a peace officer, two simple felony assault charges, felony obstructing official business, misdemeanor operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and misdemeanor resisting arrest.
He is being held on a $50,000 cash bond in the Greene County Jail.
He was arraigned in Xenia Municipal Court and has a second court appearance set for next week. Since Schell is facing a felony charges, Fischer said his case is being presented to a grand jury by the county prosecutor’s office.
“You’ve got to thank the officers that are out there protecting society and know that this could have gone both ways,” Fischer said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-6951 or mgokavi@coxohio.com.
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