ASHVILLE, Ohio (April 3, 2026) — A Columbus man has been sentenced to prison for a December 2025 shooting that left a Lancaster teenager critically injured.
Pickaway County Common Pleas Court Judge Matthew H. Chafin handed down a 10- to 15-year sentence to 19-year-old Layle R. Mohler for aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. The court also imposed a mandatory three-year firearm specification, which must be served consecutively before the underlying prison term, resulting in a total of at least 13 years behind bars.
The charges stem from a December 8, 2025, shooting at 4800 Duvall Road in Ashville. Mohler was involved in an altercation that led to a man, 19-year-old Layton A. Waugh of Lancaster, being shot in the chest. Waugh was rushed to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where doctors said he had only a 1% chance of survival. He has since recovered and was present in the courtroom during Mohler’s sentencing.
Four victim impact statements were read, all describing the severity of Waugh’s injuries, the lasting trauma the shooting caused, and the gratitude of being alive.
“This sentencing reflects the extreme severity of utilizing a firearm to threaten the safety of our community,” Judge Chafin said.
Investigation and Arrest
The shooting prompted an extensive investigation by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office and local law enforcement. Mohler was initially wanted on charges of complicity to felonious assault and aggravated robbery. He was arrested on January 6, 2026, in Columbus after coordination between Columbus Police and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators traced the suspects to a silver Saturn Ion with a black front hood fender, which was recovered in Columbus on December 9, 2025, and processed for forensic evidence by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol Computer Crimes Unit.
A second suspect, 20-year-old Tyler A. Stepp of Columbus, was arrested on December 17, 2025. He faces court charges in May.
