May 14—MANCELONA — A state conservation officer from Mancelona will stand trial after he allegedly fired rounds at a campground while off duty last summer.

No one was killed as a result of the gunfire, police reports said.

Ryan Cox, 22, was bound over to trial on Monday, according to a release from the state Attorney General Dana Nessel‘s office. He’s charged with one count assault with intent to do great bodily harm and one count felony firearm possession.

Charges were filed by Nessel in December 2023 following an internal Michigan State Police investigation into the Mecosta County campground shooting.

Cox was arraigned at the 77th District Court in Mecosta County in front of Magistrate Tom Lyons on Dec. 12, court records showed. His bond was set at 10 percent of $25,000, and he was released on a GPS tether.

Actual trial dates have not been scheduled as of Tuesday, according to a 46th Circuit Court employee. The case is still in the process of being bound over from district court to circuit court. She estimates a trial date will be set early next week.

“We entrust law enforcement officers to maintain public trust and uphold the law,” Nessel said in a statement. “My office takes allegations against those who breach this trust seriously, on or off duty, and is committed to ensuring anyone who breaks the law is held accountable.”

On May 13, 2023, Cox, off-duty at the time, intervened in a fight involving his father and other campers at Merrill-Gorrel County Park in Barryton. He allegedly announced himself as a Department of Natural Resources officer before shooting several times, and hitting someone.

Despite his off-duty status, the DNR requested Michigan State Police investigate the shooting, according to Nessel’s office. Charges against Cox are based on the findings of that investigation.

The DNR did not respond to a Record-Eagle request for comment.