Muskingum County man imprisoned for spitting on guard

ZANESVILLE, Ohio ( WCMH ) — A Muskingum County man was sentenced to prison for spitting on a police officer.

Shawn R. Ridenbaugh, 45, of Adamsville, will spend a total of nine years in prison – three years for spitting on the officer and six years for his role in a drug overdose death.

According to the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office, while he was in custody at the county jail, Ridenbaugh tested positive for hepatitis C, a life-threatening infection that can be spread through bodily fluids. At one point while he was being restrained, Ridenbaugh, who had blood in his mouth at the time, spit into an officer’s face.

Ridenbaugh was being held at that time for his role in the February death of Matthew Palmer.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Ridenbaugh lied twice when questioned by police about his about his girlfriend Tashia D. Stevens selling Palmer the drugs that led to his death. Stevens pleaded guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter and trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound.

In July, Ridenbaugh pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in the Palmer case; he pleaded guilty in August to felony harassment with a bodily substance. He was sentenced on Wednesday.

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