A startling event unfolded in Homosassa, Florida, when a man was taken into custody for masquerading as a Citrus County deputy and orchestrating a home invasion, during which he held a couple hostage. The man, 32-year-old Eric William Johnson, was transported to the location by Maynard David Selvog on July 19. Johnson was armed with a weapon resembling an AR-15 style rifle, which was later identified as an “Air-Soft” rifle.
Johnson, after reaching the location, left the vehicle and approached a camper. He falsely introduced himself as a Citrus County Sheriff’s Department officer and ordered the camper’s occupants to come out, while menacingly pointing his rifle at them. The victims, believing Johnson to be a law enforcement official, obeyed his commands.
The situation took a turn for the worse when Johnson continued to hold the victims at gunpoint. The female victim tried to dial 911, but Johnson snatched her phone away. Spotting a moment when Johnson was distracted, the male victim escaped to a nearby house for help. He informed the police about Selvog, who he had seen sitting in an SUV close to the road.
Johnson chased the male victim to the nearby house and broke in by kicking the door down. A brawl broke out inside the house between the homeowner, the victim, and Johnson. The homeowner succeeded in disarming Johnson and hit him on the head with the weapon’s butt.
Selvog and Johnson made a run for it but were later tracked down by the deputies. Selvog was discovered at a nearby residence and disclosed Johnson’s hideout. Johnson was found in a nearby shed, holding a gun to his head. Despite several attempts to make Johnson surrender, he refused, leading to K-9 Odie detaining him.
In a shocking development, Johnson tried to shoot the police dog twice, but the gun failed both times. Deputies stepped in, captured Johnson, and took him to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Johnson is facing a slew of charges, including armed home invasion robbery, two counts of felony kidnapping, armed burglary of a dwelling, aggravated assault on a person over 65, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, impersonating law enforcement, battery on a police canine, and resisting arrest. Selvog was also taken into custody and charged with armed home-invasion robbery and principal in the first degree. Johnson is being held at the Citrus County Detention Center on a $201,000 bond, while Selvog’s bond is set at $50,000.