Judge sets bond at $50K for Middletown man accused at firing gun at trooper

Carl Phillip Moore Jr.

Credit: Warren County Jail

Credit: Warren County Jail

Carl Phillip Moore Jr.

Cash or surety bond was set at $50,000 for a Middletown man who allegedly fired at an on-duty state trooper Sunday morning.

Carl P. Moore Jr., 41, of Middletown, appeared before Franklin Municipal Court Judge Ronald Ruppert for his arraignment Tuesday afternoon. Moore’s preliminary hearing was set for 4 p.m. Feb. 22, according to court records.

Moore remains in the Warren County Jail.

His original bond, before his court appearance, was $200,000, according to jail records.

He was charged with felonious assault, a first-degree felony, improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, and OVI, a misdemeanor, according to records.

No officers were injured during the incident, and the incident remains under investigation, according to the state patrol.

At around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, a state trooper observed a 2007 Chevrolet pickup truck driving erratically on Dixie Highway north of Manchester Road in Franklin Twp. While the trooper was behind the suspect’s vehicle, Moore allegedly fired a round at the trooper’s patrol car, the state patrol said.

The trooper initiated a traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle once backup officers arrived. Moore was subsequently arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired, and a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun was located in the vehicle. No shots were fired by any of the officers.

Two spent shell casings were located in the driver’s area of Moore’s vehicle, according to the state patrol. Further investigation revealed that, prior to shooting at the trooper, Moore had also fired a shot at another motorist after an altercation at a nearby bar.

The state patrol said the motorist in that shooting was not injured. The trooper’s initial report didn’t name the bar where the alleged shooting occurred.

Moore has only a few minor citations in Middletown Municipal Court, according to records.

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