A Zanesville man was sentenced Wednesday morning after he shot a firearm in an attempt to intimidate his ex-girlfriend.

Cameron White, 27, appeared in Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas on six different charges, four felonies and two misdemeanors.

According to Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Litle, this wasn’t a normal case as the officers could not find the bullet, if they had, White would have faced additional charges.

Firing over a roadway or striking a house with a bullet would both have constituted an additional felony.

Litle said White failed to understand the serious potential ramifications of his actions.

“You thought the law didn’t apply to you, shooting a gun into the air to intimidate your girlfriend, with children and others around,” Litle remarked.

According to Litle, White’s cell phone provided additional insight into his personality and activity.

On one occasion, White complained about having to spend gas money driving around town selling drugs, in another saying he’d rather be at a trap house.

Litle referenced the fact that White doesn’t smoke, that he sold drugs for one thing, to make money.

White’s attorney, Brian Benbow, said his client showed genuine remorse throughout the entire process, that the incident happened one time and challenged the argument that anyone else was around at the time of the shooting.

If had the opportunity to do it over again, Benbow said White would have acted differently and that he realizes he could have seriously hurt or killed somebody.

Benbow said being arrested was life-changing for White, who at the time of the incident was homeless, suffering from depression and living out of a truck that belonged to his ex-girlfriend.

According to Benbow, White didn’t try to flee and was open and honest with police, which led to additional criminal charges against him.

White told Judge Mark Fleegle that he was truly sorry for his actions and pleaded with the judge for a second chance.

“I didn’t believe I was above the law,” said White. “I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done.

As part of a previous plea agreement between White’s defense attorney and prosecutors, the following charges were dropped:

• Count 1: Improperly handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a felony of the fourth degree
• Count 3: Tampering with evidence, a felony of the third degree
• Count 5: Possession of drugs, a minor misdemeanor
• Count 6: Possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree

On July 13 as part of a plea agreement, White pleaded guilty to Count 2, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony and Count 4, trafficking marijuana, a fifth-degree felony.

When addressing White, Fleegle mentioned that he admitted to having drugs, which included seven bags of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and having admitted to shooting the gun.

Fleegle ultimately sided with the prosecutors in giving White an aggregate prison sentence of 24 months, 12 months of state-mandated time for committing a felony with a firearm on Count 2, and 12 additional months on Count 4.

The defense had previously asked for community control following the one-year of mandated time.

Litle argued that due to White’s criminal activity, community control was not appropriate after just 12-months in prison.

White will also be required to forfeit over $34,000 in currency found in his possession from the sale of illegal drugs.

CORRECTION: After publication of this story, Y-City News was contacted by the victim and informed they were not dating at the time of this incident. The story has been updated to reflect that new information.