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Authorities in Fayette County are providing additional information following an officer-involved shooting in Jeffersonville from last October.
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The offices of the Fayette County Sheriff and Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney on Thursday jointly released the following information related to that shooting, which took place at the Jeffersonville Quality Inn on October 14 of 2018.
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Deputy Sgt. Todd Oesterle and Deputy Jason Havens were called to the Quality Inn in reference to a noise complaint. While dealing with the lengthy noise complaint, it was ultimately decided that Eric Stromer was going to be arrested and taken to the Fayette County Jail. While attempting to arrest Stromer, Elissia Garrison, believed to be his girlfriend, would not leave his side and actively interfered in the arrest. At that point, deputies prepared to deploy a taser to Ms. Garrison, which allowed Stromer to remove a firearm from his clothing, which he discharged in the hallway of the hotel at point blank range, striking Sgt. Oesterle.
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Upon immediate realization that Sgt. Oesterle had been struck, Stromer attempted to flee, at which time deputies Oesterle and Havens returned fire and fatally wounded Stromer. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office was contacted and requested by Sheriff Stanforth to conduct the investigation.The case was presented to the Fayette County Grand Jury on March 15, 2019 at which time, the Grand Jury returned an indictment against Elissia Garrison for two counts of Complicity to Felonious Assault on an Officer, felonies of the first degree, and one count of Obstructing Official Business, a felony of the fifth degree. The Grand Jury further found that deputies Oesterle and Havens acted appropriately under the circumstances, followed use of force protocols in place by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, and cleared them of any violations of law at that time.
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Elissia Garrison’s case is presently pending before the Honorable Steven P. Beathard, Judge of the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas. Her arraignment is set on May 13, 2019.