The girlfriend of a man who was accused of trying to burn a 9-year-old child in Sebring was charged for her connection to the crime on Tuesday. The man was shot and killed after he attacked deputies, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities said just after 4 p.m., several people reported a burning pile of debris on the side of Bay Blossom at U.S. 98.
According to a press release, Richard Ham, 39, and Lakenya Phillips, 30, were burning the belongings of Phillips' 9-year-old son because they thought he was possessed by a demon.
The sheriff's office said witnesses reported that Ham tried to put the boy in the fire and also covered him with a burning blanket.
The child wasn't seriously injured, authorities said.
Firefighters got to the scene first, and when two deputies arrived shortly after, they found Ham armed with two metal rods, according to the release.
Authorities said Ham refused orders from deputies, and a taser was used, but it didn't work. The release said Ham pulled the taser probes from himself, picked up one of the rods and hit a deputy in the head.
The sheriff's office said at that time, around 4:22 p.m., one of the deputies shot Ham. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
The injured deputy was taken to another hospital, where he was treated and released.
Phillips and the boy were listed as missing and endangered out of Wichita, Kansas, on December 6. It's unclear when or why they came to Highlands County.
Officials said the boy told deputies he had not bathed or brushed his teeth in 10 days while traveling to Florida, and he hadn't eaten for at least 24 hours. He added that Ham and Phillips were regularly using drugs and that Ham threatened him with a large knife, claiming that he used the same knife to kill someone.
Authorities said multiple guns and drugs were found in the vehicle that Ham and Phillips were driving.
The Highlands County Sheriff's Office said Phillips was taken to Highlands County Jail on charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and cruelty toward a child.
The shooting will be investigated by the 10th Judicial Circuit Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force.
