MARION—Teddy Thomas III, was sentenced to 32-37.5 years in prison yesterday. Last month, a Marion County jury found Thomas III guilty on five counts stemming from an incident of domestic violence and burglary that escalated to attempted murder of a police officer.
“Thomas has proven that he cannot live among us. He needs to be locked away, and Judge Matthew Frericks’ sentence ensures that Thomas will spend the next three decades in prison,” said Ray Grogan, Marion County Prosecutor.
On the night of February 12, 2022, officers responded to a disturbance call at a home on Fies Avenue in Marion.
The victim, the mother of Thomas’s children, had called 911 after Thomas had brutally attacked her outside her home. Fearing for her life, she hid inside a bedroom and stashed her children in a closet.
The situation worsened when Thomas, undeterred, broke a window to gain entry to the house.
Upon the arrival of officers, Thomas swung a machete at Officer Caleb Rector’s head, a moment chillingly captured on the body cam of Officer Nick Guerkink. Thomas then ran down the hall and barricaded himself in a back room, resulting in a two-hour standoff and necessitating street closure.
“When Thomas’ initial victim called for help, Officer Rector and his brothers and sisters in law enforcement answered the call. They went to Fies Avenue to help. They went there to protect. They are heroes, and they deserve all our admiration,” Grogan said.