Officer Shoots ‘Sovereign Citizen’ In Cross-County Operation, Alachua County Sheriff’s Department

JASPER, Florida – While helping the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning, a so-called “sovereign citizen” was shot and killed by SWAT personnel of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

To apprehend Joseph A. Ogle, 59, on the charge of making a threat to kill, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office reportedly asked the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for assistance.

On Wednesday morning, law authorities encircled Ogle’s residence and demanded his surrender. According to the authorities, he shot at police enforcement after refusing. According to reports, he threatened to kill himself and keep shooting.

Ogle was shot around 10:45 a.m. by a member of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office SWAT squad, who said he had produced a weapon.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office asked Alachua County for assistance last Thursday in enforcing an Ex Parte Risk Protection Order and a domestic violence injunction against Ogle. This sparked the start of the inquiry.

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Anyone found to be a threat to themselves or others is required under the order to surrender their firearms.

Ogle was a veteran with skills with explosives and firearms, and deputies discovered during the inquiry that he had multiple rifles and handguns at his home.

As stated by the Southern Poverty Law Center, “Sovereign Citizens consider themselves exempt from U.S. law and believe they are not under the jurisdiction of the federal government.”