ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Jayden Lucas was sentenced Tuesday for hazing a fellow Barnesville Exempted Village School District football player.

Lucas, 18, of Barnesville had pleaded “no contest” to a hazing charge in early December and was found guilty by Western Division Court Judge Eric Costine.

The charge stemmed from an incident on school property in October.

During an apparent initiation of a freshman football player, the victim was reportedly tied to a pole and a truck was backed up near the freshman. Lucas and a juvenile defendant reportedly suggested a strap would be attached to the freshman so the truck could drag him. An unloaded crossbow was also reportedly pointed at the freshman’s head, reports indicate.

Other teen participants at the site apparently decided the hazing was going too far, untied him and called his parents.

Belmont County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Vavra said Lucas was sentenced Tuesday to 30 days in jail with 20 days suspended. As a result, Lucas will serve 10 days in jail.

“Everything went well. We had the sentencing and things went smoothly,” Vavra said.

The court administrative assistants said Lucas will be allowed to schedule the time when he serves his sentence so as not to disrupt his employment.

“The judge is going to let him submit a proposal for when to serve the 10 days so that it won’t cause him to lose his job,” Vavra said, adding the sentence may be served during weekends or days off.

“The prosecutor’s office is satisfied with how the entire process played out. The information we got from the Barnesville Police Department, the charges that we proved were appropriate with the law and the facts. He pled to the charge and was sentenced what we believe to be a fair sentence from the court,” Vavra said.

The victim’s father has asked for more serious charges and penalties, saying the participants created a situation of risk for his son.

“The victim’s father addressed the court prior to sentencing. I did not have a chance to speak with them afterwards because we were still in court, so I don’t know what their reaction was,” Vavra said.

He added that hazing – at the time of the offense – was a fourth-degree misdemeanor and that sentencing options were limited.

“Because of when this happened, on Oct. 2 (the date of the offense) it was a fourth-degree misdemeanor. The law changed on Oct. 7, a few days later, and it is now a second-degree misdemeanor, so now it’s a more severe offense than it was when it happened,” Vavra said.

Vavra added Lucas also received a lengthy suspension from the school.

The other defendant was a juvenile, and that case will be handled by the juvenile court.

“I believe the case is still pending right now,” Vavra said.

The district’s hazing and bullying policy can be found online at bevsd.org. It states “permission, consent or assumption of risk by an individual subjected to hazing … does not lessen the prohibition contained in this policy.”

The policy stipulates disciplinary penalties including suspension and expulsion.

The victim’s family started the Facebook page “Brnesville Enough” — without an A in Barnesville — to raise awareness of hazing and bullying in the Barnesville area.