Inset: Rheanna D. Harden (Marion County Sheriff's Office). Background: Harden handcuffed in the backseat of a deputy's car before shooting at him last year (WFTV/MCSO).
A 23-year-old woman in Florida will spend decades behind bars for shooting a sheriff's deputy in the head last year while handcuffed in the backseat of his patrol car.
Circuit Judge Timothy McCourt on Monday ordered Rheanna Diane Harden to serve a sentence of 40 years in a state correctional facility for the attack, court records show.
The judge handed down the sentence after Harden pleaded no contest to second-degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. She had initially been charged with first-degree attempted murder.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a deputy on June 23, 2025, pulled Harden over for running a stop sign and nearly hitting another car. Harden, who initially gave the deputy a false name, was found to be driving with a suspended license. A search of the suspect revealed she was also in possession of a controlled substance.
The deputy searched Harden before cuffing her with her hands behind her back and putting her in the backseat. During the drive, Harden was able to get her left hand free and can be seen on security camera footage putting her hand down her pants and searching for something. She also partially obstructs the camera with her visor and uses her free hand to slide over the center plexiglass partition between the front and back seats.
Realizing Harden is no longer cuffed, the deputy removes her from the car, handcuffs her again, and puts her back in the vehicle, searching her and the backseat before getting back in the driver's seat. While en route to Marion County Jail, Harden can be seen fidgeting around in the backseat for several minutes, apparently fishing the small revolver from her pants.
"At approximately 2:15 a.m., the suspect shifts in place, tilts her head slightly and her right hand and arm can be seen cocked up and back. She is still handcuffed," the affidavit states. "There is a metal object in her hands, resembling a handgun. A series of gunshot noises can be heard on camera. While this is happening, the suspect can be seen pointing the gun in the direction of Deputy Guillard in the front seat, through the center partition."
The deputy is heard screaming as the vehicle crashes into a utility pole. The deputy then exits the vehicle and returns fire. When the gunfire stops, Harden can be seen trying to kick out the glass from the rear window. A short while later, backup arrives and Harden is again placed under arrest.
One of the bullets fired by Harden left the deputy with "a graze wound on his right cheek, just below and slightly back from his right eye."
In a subsequent interview, Harden said she had a "tough upbringing" and an inherent distrust of law enforcement. She further stated that she was "unhappy" with how "arrogant" the deputy treated her during the traffic stop, saying he "did not answer her questions satisfactorily" and noting that he searched her person despite being a man.
Harden went on to explain that the deputy missed the gun because it was concealed in the pocket of a pair of shorts she was wearing beneath her pants.
"She described being 'shocked' and 'scared' when [the deputy] ultimately missed the gun on her each time. She then described wanting the windows to be rolled down so she could throw the gun out the window and it be found there, rather than on her person," the affidavit said.
But Harden became "further upset" at the deputy for allegedly "not answering her questions and playing loud music in the car."
"She described him not answering her questions and playing loud music in the car. The suspect advised she said a prayer and then the 'shoot out' happened," the document states. "She later described squeezing the trigger the first time and the gun misfiring. She fired another round and then the deputy began shooting at her, so she fired two more rounds in self-defense."
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Harden pleaded no contest to counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, and providing a false name to a law enforcement official.