A Nassau County sheriff's deputy was arrested after a SWAT standoff Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. | News4Jax
Published on September 1, 2023 at 1:05 pm
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A Nassau County sheriff’s deputy was arrested early Friday after an overnight SWAT standoff at a home in the Wildlight community in Yulee, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Earise Ray Rhoden Jr., 49, remains jailed without bond on charges of aggravated assault and using a gun while under the influence, according to Nassau County Jail records.
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Sheriff Bill Leeper said a deputy was called to the home just after 10 p.m. Thursday in reference to a domestic dispute.
Rhoden, who had been drinking, tried to leave the house with a gun after an altercation with a family member, Leeper said. Deputies tried to calm the situation, but Rhoden fired shots, Leeper said. He also pointed the gun at a deputy and a Sheriff’s Office drone overhead, according to News4Jax, a news partner of WJCT News 89.9.
The Sheriff’s Office’s Special Response Team and Jacksonville’s SWAT were called out. After a six-hour standoff, Rhoden was taken into custody and jailed early Friday, then suspended without pay.
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Leeper said it was “deeply saddening” to have a deputy involved.
“I am thankful this incident was resolved peacefully and no one was hurt,” Leeper said in a statement. “Deputies are human and struggle with issues just like many others in our society.”
