Lima resident Mark Seffernick on Thursday entered guilty pleas to five counts of felonious assault. The charges stemmed from a July 9, 2023, standoff with police during which gunshots were fired in the direction of law enforcement officers. He will be sentenced May 6.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima man who engaged in a 16-hour standoff with police last summer at his East Albert Street home pleaded guilty Thursday to five of 15 felony charges he faced because of the incident.
Mark Seffernick faces a possible prison term in excess of 60 years when he is sentenced May 6.
Seffernick, 60, appeared before Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed on Thursday and accepted an offer from prosecutors that called for him to plead guilty to five counts of felonious assault. All of the charges are felonies of the first degree; two include firearm specifications that each carry an additional three years of prison time.
Seffernick was indicted by an Allen County grand jury in August 2023 on 13 counts of felonious assault with firearm specifications, improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation and improperly discharging a firearm on or near a prohibited premises. Prosecutors dismissed eight of the felonious assault charges and all other remaining counts and specifications in exchange for Seffernick’s plea.
Reed ordered a pre-sentence investigation and a psychological evaluation be completed before sentencing.
Seffernick held police at bay for hours last summer while barricaded inside his home at 1008 E. Albert St. Police were dispatched to the scene after receiving a call about a man threatening another with a gun. When officers arrived, Seffernick retreated into the house and barricaded the front door.
During the overnight hours, gunshots were fired from the residence at police on several occasions. None of those shots led to injuries. The incident finally ended nearly 16 hours after it began, when Seffernick emerged voluntarily and surrendered to police.
Assistant Allen County Prosecuting Attorney Josh Carp said the five charges to which Seffernick pleaded guilty involve five separate law enforcement officers.
