WARREN — The former Warren police officer who falsely said a black man in a hoodie shot at him will spend the next nine months in the state’s Lorain Correctional Institution.

Noah Linnen, 24, took full responsibility and expressed remorse for his actions on Jan. 13, 2020, and the days that followed, that had police officers from various departments searching for a person who did not exist.

“I had been experiencing a great deal of stress from my personal and professional lives that I clearly could not cope with,” Linnen said. “I thought I could handle everything on my own. I was wrong.”

Seeking help from doctors and psychiatrists, Linnen said he was diagnosed with what he described as a serious disorder, which he did not specify.

“All of those factors led me down a path of mistakes, deceptions and extremely poor judgment,” Linnen said. “I know my actions cannot go unpunished. I caused panic in the community. I caused citizens of the African-American community to be part of it.”

“I apologize to the African-American community, especially to those directly affected by my actions,” he said.

Linnen talked about losing his career and embarrassing his family and friends. He said he tarnished his reputation and the reputations of police officers.

“I can never undo,” he said. “I can only move forward.”

While recognizing that Linnen did not have a criminal record prior to last year’s incident, Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court emphasized that Linnen’s actions could have caused serious injury or death.

“There were people arrested at gunpoint,” Logan said. “The allegation of a black man in a hoodie is pretty unbelievable, especially in the light of what is happening across the nation at this time.”

Logan said it was only through the swift and efficient investigation done by area law enforcement officers that someone — whether it was a police officer or a black man — was not hurt.

While acknowledging that Linnen may be expressing remorse today, Logan noted he did not show any remorse on Jan. 13, 2020, or during the days afterward while police officers were conducting an investigation.

Logan sentenced him to nine months in prison for tampering with evidence and six months each for inducing panic and disrupting public services. Because the sentences are to run at the same time, Linnen will spend only nine months in prison.

Linnen, however, also must pay a fine of $10,171, which is the cost of the investigation.

County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Burnett said it was important that Linnen serve some time in prison.

“Unfortunately, the damage Mr. Linnen did, there is nothing he can do to make up for that,” Burnett said. “This is a good start.”

Defense attorney Robert Kokor described his client as genuinely remorseful.

“This was terrible all around,” Kokor said. “Noah’s taken responsibility. Hopefully everybody can move on from this.”

But the Rev. Todd Johnson, pastor of Second Baptist Church, called the sentence given to Linnen a miscarriage of justice.

“I don’t know what else a police officer has to do to get a tougher sentence,” Johnson said. “This sows the seed of mistrust.”