Man, 81, arrested after firing gun at deputies

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

An 81-year-old man is being held in the Camden County Jail after firing a shot at Camden County sheriff’s deputies in an altercation after leaving a Morgan County care facility.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Department said John E. Russell was found at a residence in the 600 block of state Route D, west of Camdenton, after having walked away from a care facility in Morgan County.

When deputies approached the front door of the residence, they encountered Russell, who was armed with a handgun.

Deputies subdued him immediately, but during the struggle a single shot was fired. No one was injured in the gunfire.

Russell is being held in the Camden County Adult Detention Facility where he is charged with armed criminal action, 2nd degree assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, felonious restraint and unlawful use of a weapon.

He is being held in the Camden County Jail on $50,000 cash bond and $150,000 surety bond.

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kentheco 1 year, 3 months ago

This story, as written, leaves me with some questions. Was the man placed in the care facility as a result of a court-order? If not, wouldn’t he be able to freely come and go? Is he a convicted felon that has had his right to possess firearms taken away by a court? If not, his possession of a firearm shouldn’t have mattered. Prior to the actions by law enforcement, had he threatened anyone? If not, why were they attempting to arrest him? What crime was he suspected of? It appears that an excessive use of force, in an improperly handled incident, has required the local law enforcement to come up with an excuse for their actions. While I’m glad that no one, especially the elderly man, was injured, I fear that we now live in a society where law enforcement officers believe that they can use force to arrest a person for simply walking away from a care-facility. Instead of charging him with crimes that occurred as a result of their over-zealous actions, maybe they should come up with training on how to handle the elderly or those who suffer from dementia.

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