A 23-year-old woman, who tried to shoot a Marion County Sheriff’s deputy in the head with a handgun that she had concealed in her pants, will spend the next four decades in prison.
On Monday, in a Marion County courtroom, Rheanna Diane Harden was sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment in connection with a shooting on June 23, 2025, that injured Marion County Sheriff’s Office Deputy A. Guillard.
Prior to her sentencing, Harden pleaded nolo contendere (no contest) to charges that included attempted second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm and/or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Back on June 23, 2025, at around 1 a.m., Deputy Guillard conducted a traffic stop along SE 161st Street in Summerfield on a vehicle being driven by Harden, according to MCSO.
As a result of the stop, Guillard arrested Harden on multiple charges, including possession of methamphetamine, providing false identification to law enforcement, and knowingly driving with a suspended license.
Harden was detained in handcuffs, and a pat-down search was conducted before she was secured in the back seat of Guillard’s patrol vehicle.
While the patrol vehicle was traveling northbound on S Highway 441, near the 2900 block, Harden retrieved a “small-caliber” firearm that had been concealed in the “crotch area” of her pants. She then proceeded to open fire at Guillard’s head, according to MCSO.
Moments later, the patrol vehicle crashed into a utility pole. The deputy then exited the vehicle and returned fire, wounding Harden.
Guillard sustained a graze wound near his right eye, while Harden was injured in her shoulder and hip. Both individuals were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Once medically cleared, Harden was booked into Marion County Jail, where she remained in custody until her sentencing.
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