November 24, 2025 • 5 mins
A routine eviction in Florida turns deadly for a sheriff’s deputy and a locksmith inside a gated community in Indian River County. A Missouri judge agrees to resign after a misconduct probe finds he wore an Elvis wig in court and talked politics from the bench. Drew Nelson reports.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alart hourly update breaking crime these Now.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm Drew Nelson. A routine eviction in Florida turns deadly
for a sheriff's deputy and a locksmith inside a gated
community in Indian River County. Deputy Terry Sweeting Mashcow was
killed Friday morning while serving an eviction notice on thirty
seven year old Michael Halbersham in Vero Beach. She was
forty seven years old. Three deputies in the locksmith had
(00:23):
stepped into the home. Deputy Florentino Arispei was hit in
the shoulder and moved into the garage. The locksmith, David
Long eight seventy six, was struck and died Sunday in
the hospital. A sergeant who was not hit returned fire
and wounded the suspect, who also died in the hospital.
Another deputy wounded in the shooting has since been released
and is recovering at home.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Awful Dad, six days before Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
That's Indian River County's Sheriff Eric Flowers speaking at a
news conference.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Depity Terry Sweding Mashcow forty seven years old, twenty five
years and sixteen days of service with the Indian River
County sh Ariff's office made the ultimate sacrifice.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Helbert Stam's mother had requested the eviction. Deputies had been
sent to the home several times this month. Deputy said
he had posted hostile messages on social media about the
Sheriff's office. Switeing mash Coow beginning her career as a dispatcher.
She worked patrol for two decades and moved into legal
processing in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
How don't you call her mom today? Haven't let her
husband know absolutely the worst part of being a law
enforcement leader.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Family members are grieving the loss of a woman who
worked her entire life in service to her county. Her
husband called her a woman with a heart of gold.
Her cousin Joan Bennett remembered her to WPLG. She was
an amazing mother, amazing mother, and I know that she
put her whole heart into her her heart and soul.
(01:49):
And he was a loyal, beautiful person. This is only
the second line of duty death in the one hundred
year history of the Sheriff's Office. A procession carried the
body to the medical examiner as deputies stood along the
road in silence. Terry Sweeting Mashcow posthumously promoted to sergeant
end of Watch. Friday, November twenty first, twenty twenty five.
(02:12):
More crime and justice news after this. A Missouri judge
agrees to resign after a misconduct probe finds he wore
an Elvis Wigan court, played Elvis music from his phone
during court proceedings, and talked politics from the bench. Judge
Matthew E. P. Thornhill, the longest serving judge in Saint
(02:35):
Charles County, accepted a deal that forces him to step down.
He will serve a six month unpaid suspension, return to
the bench for eighteen months, and then resign. He will
also be banned from ever holding another judicial office in Missouri.
The agreement still needs final approval from the Missouri Supreme Court,
though he has already waived his right to a hearing
and appeal. Investigators found he wore a large Elvis style
(02:58):
Wagan court around Halloween. He also played Elvis songs during
courtroom business, including during the swearing in of witnesses. Records
show he made references to the singer that had no
link to the cases in front of him. The Commission's
file included photos of him wearing the wigs sunglasses and
scarf while posing nexts to a cardboard cutout of Elvis.
(03:19):
The Commission also said Thornhill talked about his political party
and preferred candidates from the bench. He asked litigants and
lawyers if they had seen his campaign signs. He referred
to the court room as Thornhill for Judge County. He
once asked a petitioner if their union had quote warmed
up to Thornhill for Judge. Another violation involved him hand
delivering a personal reference in appending adoption and parental rights case.
(03:42):
The Commission noted that judges cannot act as character witnesses
without a subpoena. In a letter dated November twelfth, Thornhill
admitted the allegations were quote substantially accurate. He wrote that
the Elvis thing was quote meant to add levity and
put litigants at ease, but he acknowledged the conduct hurt
the solemnity of the court. Once the State Supreme Court
(04:03):
finalizes the deal, Thornhill will begin the unpaid suspension. Amber
Elizabeth Kates was last seen in Maury County, Tennessee, on
April eleventh, two thousand and four. She was sixteen. She
vanished while planning to spend spring break with a relative.
She left her mother's home on Tracy Lane with a
friend named James Gordon in a gold Mazda. She was
supposed to return in two days, but she never made
(04:25):
contact again. Gordon later told investigators he left her with
another friend, Ronald and Zuriaga, aka California. Gordon said the
plan was for them to get a meal at the
waffle house on James Campbell Boulevard, and Zuriaga later said
he dropped Amber off at a garage in Columbia after
she bought some hair dye. Amber was born in spring
Hill and had lived in several states before returning to Tennessee.
(04:48):
She was staying in a foster home before her older
half sister, Brenda James, became her legal guardian just days
before she disappeared. James told reporters that Amber had fallen
in with a risky group and was drinking in some time,
I'm using drugs. Investigators first listed her as a runaway,
but the lack of activity on her driver's license, her
social Security number, and her phone records led them to
(05:08):
question that The FBI offers a reward of up to
twenty five thousand dollars for information leading to Amber's recovery
or prosecution of anyone responsible. Amber is white. She was
five five one hundred pounds, light brown hair that may
have been dyed blonde, in green or hazel eyes. Today
she would be thirty seven. Tipsters can contact eight hundred,
call FBI or tips dot FBI dot gov. For the
(05:31):
latest crime and justice news, follow crime alerts hourly update
on your favorite podcast app with this crime alert. I'm
Drew Nelson.
Crime Alart hourly update breaking crime these Now.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm Drew Nelson. A routine eviction in Florida turns deadly
for a sheriff's deputy and a locksmith inside a gated
community in Indian River County. Deputy Terry Sweeting Mashcow was
killed Friday morning while serving an eviction notice on thirty
seven year old Michael Halbersham in Vero Beach. She was
forty seven years old. Three deputies in the locksmith had
(00:23):
stepped into the home. Deputy Florentino Arispei was hit in
the shoulder and moved into the garage. The locksmith, David
Long eight seventy six, was struck and died Sunday in
the hospital. A sergeant who was not hit returned fire
and wounded the suspect, who also died in the hospital.
Another deputy wounded in the shooting has since been released
and is recovering at home.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Awful Dad, six days before Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
That's Indian River County's Sheriff Eric Flowers speaking at a
news conference.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Depity Terry Sweding Mashcow forty seven years old, twenty five
years and sixteen days of service with the Indian River
County sh Ariff's office made the ultimate sacrifice.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Helbert Stam's mother had requested the eviction. Deputies had been
sent to the home several times this month. Deputy said
he had posted hostile messages on social media about the
Sheriff's office. Switeing mash Coow beginning her career as a dispatcher.
She worked patrol for two decades and moved into legal
processing in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
How don't you call her mom today? Haven't let her
husband know absolutely the worst part of being a law
enforcement leader.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Family members are grieving the loss of a woman who
worked her entire life in service to her county. Her
husband called her a woman with a heart of gold.
Her cousin Joan Bennett remembered her to WPLG. She was
an amazing mother, amazing mother, and I know that she
put her whole heart into her her heart and soul.
(01:49):
And he was a loyal, beautiful person. This is only
the second line of duty death in the one hundred
year history of the Sheriff's Office. A procession carried the
body to the medical examiner as deputies stood along the
road in silence. Terry Sweeting Mashcow posthumously promoted to sergeant
end of Watch. Friday, November twenty first, twenty twenty five.
(02:12):
More crime and justice news after this. A Missouri judge
agrees to resign after a misconduct probe finds he wore
an Elvis Wigan court, played Elvis music from his phone
during court proceedings, and talked politics from the bench. Judge
Matthew E. P. Thornhill, the longest serving judge in Saint
(02:35):
Charles County, accepted a deal that forces him to step down.
He will serve a six month unpaid suspension, return to
the bench for eighteen months, and then resign. He will
also be banned from ever holding another judicial office in Missouri.
The agreement still needs final approval from the Missouri Supreme Court,
though he has already waived his right to a hearing
and appeal. Investigators found he wore a large Elvis style
(02:58):
Wagan court around Halloween. He also played Elvis songs during
courtroom business, including during the swearing in of witnesses. Records
show he made references to the singer that had no
link to the cases in front of him. The Commission's
file included photos of him wearing the wigs sunglasses and
scarf while posing nexts to a cardboard cutout of Elvis.
(03:19):
The Commission also said Thornhill talked about his political party
and preferred candidates from the bench. He asked litigants and
lawyers if they had seen his campaign signs. He referred
to the court room as Thornhill for Judge County. He
once asked a petitioner if their union had quote warmed
up to Thornhill for Judge. Another violation involved him hand
delivering a personal reference in appending adoption and parental rights case.
(03:42):
The Commission noted that judges cannot act as character witnesses
without a subpoena. In a letter dated November twelfth, Thornhill
admitted the allegations were quote substantially accurate. He wrote that
the Elvis thing was quote meant to add levity and
put litigants at ease, but he acknowledged the conduct hurt
the solemnity of the court. Once the State Supreme Court
(04:03):
finalizes the deal, Thornhill will begin the unpaid suspension. Amber
Elizabeth Kates was last seen in Maury County, Tennessee, on
April eleventh, two thousand and four. She was sixteen. She
vanished while planning to spend spring break with a relative.
She left her mother's home on Tracy Lane with a
friend named James Gordon in a gold Mazda. She was
supposed to return in two days, but she never made
(04:25):
contact again. Gordon later told investigators he left her with
another friend, Ronald and Zuriaga, aka California. Gordon said the
plan was for them to get a meal at the
waffle house on James Campbell Boulevard, and Zuriaga later said
he dropped Amber off at a garage in Columbia after
she bought some hair dye. Amber was born in spring
Hill and had lived in several states before returning to Tennessee.
(04:48):
She was staying in a foster home before her older
half sister, Brenda James, became her legal guardian just days
before she disappeared. James told reporters that Amber had fallen
in with a risky group and was drinking in some time,
I'm using drugs. Investigators first listed her as a runaway,
but the lack of activity on her driver's license, her
social Security number, and her phone records led them to
(05:08):
question that The FBI offers a reward of up to
twenty five thousand dollars for information leading to Amber's recovery
or prosecution of anyone responsible. Amber is white. She was
five five one hundred pounds, light brown hair that may
have been dyed blonde, in green or hazel eyes. Today
she would be thirty seven. Tipsters can contact eight hundred,
call FBI or tips dot FBI dot gov. For the
(05:31):
latest crime and justice news, follow crime alerts hourly update
on your favorite podcast app with this crime alert. I'm
Drew Nelson.
Host
Nancy Grace
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