The Marion County Sheriff’s Office will hold a memorial event this week for James George Binnicker, a deputy who was killed in 1893 and is the earliest recorded Line of Duty death for the sheriff’s office.
On September 29, 1893, Binnicker was shot by a prisoner he was guarding, and he died from blood poisoning, according to MCSO.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) Captain Kaley Behl located information regarding Deputy Binnicker while researching ACSO accreditation and informed the MCSO Accreditation Department.
MCSO Public Information Office Coordinator Kayla Welch also came across the information while preparing for the Marion County Fallen Officer Ceremony. However, information was scarce and unconfirmed at that time. Due to the lack of information, Welch reached out to the Marion County Clerk of Court’s Record Center for any documentation regarding Deputy Binnicker.
The record center was able to locate the actual files from the 1893 court documents that provided detailed verification of Deputy Binnicker.
In January of 1893, Deputy Binnicker started his employment with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. According to court records, on September 24, 1893, Deputy Binnicker was guarding a prisoner, Ed Dansey, who told the deputy that he had buried gold near the woods in Ocala.
Dansey further told Deputy Binnicker that he needed this gold to pay for his attorney, Mr. J.W. Wideman. After Sheriff Hodge granted permission for the trip, Deputy Binnicker, Dansey, and his attorney traveled by carriage to the Reddick area to look for the buried gold.
Court records indicate that Dansey gained control of Deputy Binnicker’s gun during an altercation, and he shot the deputy. Dansey then fled to Wacahoota Hammock in Alachua County. During a search, the Alachua County Sheriff located Dansey and transported him to jail.
Five days after the shooting, Deputy Binnicker died of blood poisoning from the bullet. Dansey was later found guilty of murder. On January 11, 1894, Dansey gave a full confession to the murder of Deputy Binnicker while standing on the gallows before his execution.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office will hold a memorial service for Deputy James George Binnicker at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at the Flemington Cemetery, which is located at 18250 NW 100th Avenue Road in Micanopy.