Deputy Roedding with Lee County Sheriffs Office makes contact with a suspicious vehicle inside a closed park. Both records come back clean and the woman consents to a search of her vehicle. A small joint is found in her clutch purse and a handgun with an extended clip is found in the male passenger’s book bag. Deputy Roedding releases the woman to her mother. The senior athlete man is taken in for possession of a concealed firearm.
While assisting a fellow deputy with a traffic stop, Deputy Roedding of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office hears a radio call that alerts him to another deputy who has just spotted a wanted man running through some backyards in a nearby neighborhood. The suspect is believed to be a man who had fled from a felony traffic stop several days earlier. Deputy Mark Bonora and his K-9 partner, Eli, arrive and initiate a search for the fleeing suspect through the use of scent tracking. Eli [eventually or quickly?] hits on a garbage can behind someone’s home. Deputy Roedding tips over the garbage can, spilling its contents and revealing the wanted suspect. Eli pulls the suspect out for the deputies to place safely in custody. The suspect explains to Deputy Roedding that he fled because he is turning 21 soon, and “you only turn 21 once.” He continues to explain that he did not want to waste his life sitting in jail. On top of everything, marijuana is found among the suspect’s belongings. Deputies transport him to jail for the misdemeanor warrant, resisting arrest, and for marijuana possession.
| Name | Jonathon Roedding |
| Rank | Deputy First Class |
| Agency | Lee County Sheriffs Office |
| Station/Area Command | East District |
| Age | 28 |
| From | Fort Myers, FL |
| Hired | November 2008 |
| Why Law Enforcement | Entered Law Enforcement upon exiting the Marine Corps |
| First Arrest | My first arrest was on a traffic stop. I pulled over a car that showed the registered owner of the vehicle had a suspended license. After a brief investigation, I determined there was marijuana in the vehicle. After a search of the vehicle, I discovered a marijuana smoking pipe and about five grams of Marijuana. He also was a habitual traffic offender, so he also was charged with felony traffic as well. |
| Best part of the job | Being able to help people who are at their most vulnerable point in their lives. |
| Hobbies | Surf/Paddleboard/Make surfboards and paddle boards/play guitar/enjoy my days off |
| Favorite Quote | “The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.” General Mattis |
