WAUCHULA, Fla. – Christopher Guthrie, the juvenile involved in the recent officer-involved shooting, has been arrested and all Hardee County Sheriff’s Office deputies involved have been cleared to return to duty.
On November 26, 2020, three Hardee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a suspected burglary at a residence on Vandolah Road, in which Christopher Guthrie (14), opened fire on the deputies, who returned fire, striking him.
It was discovered Guthrie was a missing client from Lakeside Neurologic, located at 1962 Vandolah Road, and had burglarized several residences in the area before coming into contact with law enforcement.
Guthrie has since been released from the hospital and charged with three counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, theft of a firearm, and armed burglary. He has been transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the shooting and has cleared all three deputies involved to return to work.