Latest news with #MarionCountySheriff
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
Police investigating death of 54-year-old man in northeast Salem
Police are investigating the death of a 54-year-old man who was found July 1 at a home on Clearwater Avenue in northeast Salem. According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, police responded at 7:30 a.m. to a 911 call from the home. Deputies found the man deceased at the home when they arrived, the sheriff's office said. Police did not release the identity of the deceased. Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives and the Oregon State Police crime lab are investigating 'circumstances surrounding the death,' including cause, according to the sheriff's office. Police said there is no threat to the community. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Noe Martinez at 503-316-6650. Jonathan Williams is the news editor of the Salem Statesman Journal. Reach him at jcwilliams1@ This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Police investigating death of 54-year-old man in northeast Salem
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
Woman shoots at deputy with secret gun in her pants while handcuffed in back seat
A 22-year-old accused of shooting at a deputy while handcuffed is now in the Marion County Jail. Deputies said Rheanna Harden was 'flexible' enough to grab a gun from her pants and open fire as she was inside of a deputy cruiser. The Marion County Sheriff's office said the incident began with a traffic stop in Summerfield before 2:30 a.m. on Monday. According to the Sheriff's Office, a deputy arrested Harden for driving with a suspended license, providing a fake ID to law enforcement and for possessing drugs. According to the Sheriff's Office, even though Harden was handcuffed behind her back, and patted down before her arrest, she was able to shoot at a deputy using a small caliber handgun hidden in her pants. The Sheriff's Office said a bullet grazed the deputy, but he is already out of the hospital. Despite losing control of his vehicle and crashing it into a utility pole, the Sheriff's office said the deputy managed to get out of his vehicle and return fire. The shooting happened in the 2900 block of South Pine Avenue in Ocala. 'It's scary to know what could have happened if she had a better shot,' said Valerie Strong, Public Information Officer with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, 'We're just very thankful that he only received a graze and he's going to be able to go home to his family.' Strong told Channel 9 Harden was shot in the shoulder and hip area. She was taken to the hospital but released Monday afternoon and booked into the Marion County Jail. Court records obtained by Channel 9 shows Harden has tried to run from police before. Harden's criminal history dates to at least 2020 where she's accused of leading a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper on a chase in Bay County. Harden faced charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing with injury or damage, and possession of cocaine related to that case. She was also arrested in 2022 on charges of fleeing and eluding police, possession synthetic marijuana, and carrying a concealed firearm. According to Department of Corrections records, Harden was sentenced to more than two years in prison on those charges and was released on July 1, 2024. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the Marion County Crash and Harden is likely to face additional charges related to Monday's Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Marion County first responders get proactive on manpower shortage
GRANT TOWN — A manpower crisis looms for first responders like those in Grant Town. So Grant Town first responders created a Junior First Responders Academy to get ahead of it. 'Most places don't get young people anymore,' Gauge Miller, Grant Town fire chief, said. 'It's guys that have been doing it 20, 30, 40, 50, some even 60 years. If we don't get young people into the service, then eventually we're not going to have that service if there's nobody new coming in.' Grant Town EMS launched its Junior First Responder Academy three years ago. The academy invites students going into seventh grade through high school to a week where students can experience what it's like to work as fire, police or ambulance worker. This year, the academy expanded its police offerings. The Marion County Sheriff's office provided staff and equipment to make the police component possible. The academy will take place June 23 through June 28. Miller said the academy doesn't just serve Grant Town, but is for all first responders statewide. Miller said all students get first aid and CPR certified before ending the program. For the firefighter portion, Miller said students will get to use a firehose on different props they'll have set up, as well as demonstrations showing how the fire department cuts a car apart to rescue the motorist trapped inside. Miller said the best time to recruit anybody for a service is when they're young. Amanda Stover, Grant Town EMS Assistant, said recruiting for EMS is really, really hard. Mon County just cut their program for EMS and fire, Stover said, and other areas don't have programs that expose students to EMS. 'It makes it really hard for us to show kids what the day-to-day operations are,' Stover said. 'I think we also struggle in little bit in that we don't get paid as much as most other health care professionals, and so kids don't see this as an option.' Stover hopes the Academy can make up for some of that. She said her portion of the Academy teaches students back boarding and how to treat a patient when they come out of a car. Students are also taught how to work with the fire department on a rescue, and how to handle psychiatric emergencies. Stover said students learn different scenarios, and then go out and practice them. She said kids seem to enjoy the practical exercise. The academy at least helps address some of those deficiencies in exposure. 'A lot of times, people don't realize what being a police officer is or what it entails,' Grant Town Police Chief Russell Miller said. 'The whole process can be intimidating, and sometimes there's negative press just like there's good press and if somebody's not exposed to it, maybe that interest never gets sparked. Maybe they never get the opportunity to test it, try it, see if it's their thing. This gives somebody the opportunity to be like, 'wow, I really enjoyed that. This might be a career opportunity.'' Miller thanked the Marion County Sheriff's Department for helping put on the event. He said they're doing demonstrations with the K-9 for the students, as well as tours of the courthouse. Stover said the lack of funding and lack of staffing has caused EMS agencies to close around the state. Gauge Miller said when rural agencies close, response times for residents who live in isolated parts of the state increases as bigger agencies struggle to fill the demand smaller agencies once managed. Russell Miller said when he began his career a few decades ago, there would be hundreds of applicants for a spot on a police department. Now, departments struggle with getting enough people to take a PT test. Gauge Miller made the observation that volunteering isn't something that is emphasized among younger generations anymore. Young people are taught to expect reimbursement for anything they do. For volunteer fire departments, that is highly damaging, since not only is any reimbursement intangible in the form of gratitude, but also because reimbursement isn't why someone gets into public service. It's done out of a sense of duty. Fire, EMS and police are vital services on which society relies. Russell Miller said it takes a special person who wants to serve and not just punch a clock. Stover said the focus in schools on obtaining high paying jobs and the flight of young people out of the state is draining the potential labor pool for first responders. She put it bluntly if those jobs aren't filled. 'We also still need people to stay here and do these jobs,' Stover said. 'Without these jobs, people would die.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Arkansas man accused of attempting to shoot woman who stopped to check on him
MARION COUNTY, Ark. — An Arkansas man is accused of attempted murder after allegedly shooting toward a woman who was checking on his well being. According to a Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) news release, Jimmy R. Jones, born 1949, is charged with attempt to commit first-degree murder, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and one count of possession of firearms by certain persons. The incident occurred on Tuesday, May 6, in northern Marion County. Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander states Jones was parked in the roadway on County Road 8042 when the victim stopped to check on him. The victim said she asked Jones if he was okay, and Jones responded by pointing a handgun at her, prompting her to drive away from the scene. The victim stated she heard at least two gunshots as she drove away. She said Jones followed her in his vehicle for a short distance, before turning onto another road. MCSO deputies responded and processed the scene of the initial incident, before then responding to a call of a vehicle crash near County Road 3530. Deputies found a vehicle belonging to Jones and recovered a firearm from the vehicle, but were unable to locate him. The victim was able to identify Jones as the person who fired at her, as well as the vehicle he had been driving. Jones was arrested on Thursday, May 8, and booked into the Marion County Detention Center in lieu of a $50,000 bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
