'Prank war' gone wrong: Ogden man gets probation for shooting at teens

LOGAN — An Ogden man has been sentenced to probation and community service for shooting at a group of teenagers who had thrown eggs at him as a prank.

Jonathan Barley, 30, and three others were sitting around a campfire about 11 p.m. on June 4, 2022, when a group of five teenagers parked nearby approached the campers and began throwing eggs, believing them to be "part of an ongoing prank war," according to court documents.

After throwing six eggs, Barley got up and tried to shoot at the teens with a .22-caliber pistol, a police booking affidavit states. The gun jammed, and Barley began clearing the bad round while the teens ran away. Police say he managed to shoot again, grazing one of the fleeing teenagers in the leg. The teen reported seeing "sparks hit the ground next to him."

After the initial shots were fired, five of the teenagers ran into another uninvolved group of teens in the parking lot area and warned them of Barley. Both groups got into their vehicles, and while the original group got away safely, Barley saw the second group fleeing in a truck, then "took aim at the vehicle and fired once more," according to prosecutors. He hit the windshield, narrowly missing the driver.

Cache County sheriff's deputies describe arriving at the scene of the incident and reported finding the gun in a cargo pocket of Barley's shorts.

Barley pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and felony discharge of a firearm, third-degree felonies, as part of a plea deal. In exchange for his pleas, six counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and one count of felony discharge of a firearm count, a second-degree felony, were dismissed. If he completes probation, the charges will be reduced by one degree.

First District Judge Brian Cannell sentenced Barley last week to 120 hours of community service "in a gun violence impact area" and probation for three years. He also requested a written letter of apology for the victim who was shot.

The father of the injured teen wrote a letter to the court, saying "Barley's actions were unbelievable to me as a gun owner," and he's not supportive of the plea agreement because "it does not capture the gravity of Mr. Barley's actions."

The father said he hoped that "based on his reckless actions and endangerment of life, Mr. Barley will never again be in a position of legal gun ownership."

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