A Scioto County jury convicted the squatter who tried to kill a Scioto County Sheriff’s Deputy last August of attempted murder, felonious assault, and breaking and entering after four hours of deliberation. Judge Mark Kuhn sentenced Richard Turner, 29, to a sentence of 23 to 28.5 years in prison.
Last August, deputies responded to a report of squatters living in a home on Big Doney Road. When officers arrived on the scene, they learned the intruders had destroyed the interior of the home and found Turner passed out naked in a bedroom.
After officers woke him up, he put on underwear and shoes and took off. Turner ran into a swampy area of standing water and told deputies they couldn’t taze him because he was in the water. He then claimed to be stuck in the mud.
When a deputy went into the water to assist him, Turner resisted arrests and knocked the handcuffs from the officer’s hand. The 6’3” Turner got the 5’7” deputy in a chokehold, choked him unconscious, and then shoved him under the water before fleeing the scene. The deputy barely made it to shore.
Medics transported the injured officer to SOMC and officers from multiple agencies searched the area for several hours before Turner returned to the home, he was squatting in. Deputies arrested the homeless man on charges of attempted murder, felonious assault, breaking and entering, and failure to appear warrants for domestic violence and resisting arrest.
He had previous arrests for grand theft auto, drug abuse, receiving stolen property, and being a fugitive from justice.
Scioto County Prosecutor Shane Tieman said, “This case perfectly demonstrates the dangers that police face every day. For those who would think about attempting to flee from and harm these brave men and women, I ask you to look at the conviction and sentence in this case before you act.”
