SENTENCED — Adam C. Roberts, right, was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for his involvement in firing guns out of an attic window and at police officers in 2023. -- Linda Harris

STEUBENVILLE — A man convicted of firing his guns out an attic window at police officers two years ago in Goulds Run was sentenced Monday to five years in prison.

Adam C. Roberts, 43, had been convicted last week of the Sept. 7, 2023, felonious assault with a firearm specification because the victim was a police officer, plus a misdemeanor charge of inducing panic.

He was ordered by Common Pleas Court Judge Joseph Bruzzese to serve five years in prison — a mandatory three-year sentence on the firearm specification plus another two years on the felonious assault charge. Roberts also was sentenced to six-months for inducing panic, to be served concurrently.

He’ll receive credit for the 291 days he’s already served in the county jail.

Roberts had initially been charged also with using weapons while under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both, but it was dismissed before the trial after Bruzzese ruled a statement he’d allegedly made to police earlier in the day that he “thought he’d had some bad meth” would be prejudicial. The jury was told only that he’d required medical attention and had been released from the hospital about eight hours before the shooting incident.

Roberts maintained his innocence before Monday’s hearing, insisting he was firing at intruders trying to break into his property and that he wasn’t aware police were even on the grounds. Police had responded without their lights and sirens as a safety measure, and it wasn’t until he was convinced that authorities were at the scene that he surrendered. But once inside his home, authorities reported finding more than 100 casings in his home and what has been described as an arsenal of weapons and ammunition.

Prosecutor Bernie Battistel told the judge that up to that point in his life Roberts’ only offenses were traffic related.

“No other misdemeanors, no other felonies, other than what he was convicted of last week,” Battistel said. “I think that the two to three years on the felony…along with a three-year firearm specification that would have to run consecutively by law is appropriate. In this case, we ask the court to follow that.”

Roberts’ attorney, Bruce Clark, argued for leniency, pointing out that his client “has always worked, always taken care of himself, he doesn’t have any long history with criminal behavior or drug use or alcoholism or anything like that.”

“Everything in his life prior to (this incident), in everything in his life after that, there’s no indication that he would be a danger to society or likely to commit another crime,” Clark said. “I think the amount for this specification is more than enough, I think the three years is more than enough. I honestly think that if there’s any lesson to be learned, it’s probably already learned from the local jail time. So, I understand the nature of that specification, but if we’re talking about what is necessary to teach the lesson, the (mandatory three-year sentence for the firearm specification) and nothing more is sufficient.”

Bruzzese, though, said he “really can’t ignore (him) shooting at people, so we’re going to do what the prosecutor has suggested, which is two years in prison on (the felonious assault).” If Roberts follows the rules and stays out of trouble in prison, Bruzzese told him he could shave time off his two-year sentence for felonious assault — and if he doesn’t, he could end up serving more.

Roberts also will be under a lifetime weapons ban once he is released from prison.