by Patrick H. Moore
Tuesday afternoon America’s newest hero Antoinette Tuff saved a Georgia elementary school from a potential Sandy Hook-style disaster. Earlier on Tuesday in the wee hours — in an equally amazing story — retired farmer Jerome Mauderly, 71, and his wife Carolyn, 66, became their own heroes by liberating themselves from escaped convict Rodney Long who had imprisoned them in their own house. Jerome shot and killed Rodney Long in his kitchen with a shotgun at around 2:00 a.m.
Long had been serving a prison sentence for burglary at the State prison in Clarinda in the southwestern part of the state. He was scheduled to be released in September 2014. Last Friday he climbed a fence and lit out into the countryside.
Oddly, Long’s absence does not appear to have been discovered for some time. Makes me wonder if he had some people covering for him. In any event, according to Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Mitch Mortvedt, since Sunday night, Iowa peace officers, with the help of Missouri officers and Nebraska State Patrol aircraft, had been searching for Long.
Earlier on Sunday, Long shot Taylor County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Wyckoff in the chest and the arm near New Market when Wycoff attempted to question him. Wycoff ran for cover and the gunman jumped into his vehicle and took off. Wycoff had apparently radioed for help; another deputy soon arrived, picked up Wyckoff and the two of them set off in hot pursuit of Long and the stolen vehicle. It was 40 minutes of what must have been a classic police chase scene through rural Taylor County, complete with occasional exchanges of gunshots. Other officers joined the chase. Just like in the movies, the stolen vehicle eventually went out of control and rolled several times. Long, who was clearly one determined escaped convict, fled on foot.
From there he apparently hoofed it to the Mauderlys’ property, which amazingly enough had already been searched three times by deputies before Long broke in Monday night at around 10:15 taking the Mauderlys, who had gone to bed early, by surprise.
Brandishing a handgun, Long cut their telephone lines and used their cell phone although it’s unclear who he called.
At some point, he Mauderlys decided they were going to fight back. With Long distracted upstairs, Jerome Mauderly managed to retrieve his gun from the kitchen. As Long descended the stairs, Mauderly shot him dead. Officers arrived later to find Rodney Eugene Long lying face down on the floor. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“As the situation wore on the decision was made by the Mauderlys they were going to defend themselves,” Special Agent Mortvedt remarked. “At 2:11 a.m. the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from Carolyn Mauderly.”
She told a dispatcher that her husband had shot an intruder.
No one else was hurt.
Wyckoff, 33, was flown to a hospital in Omaha, Neb. where he is said to be in stable condition. He is expected to make a full recovery.
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This is a really great story. Long escaped from prison, survived for several days in the rural countryside, shot a deputy, led law enforcement on a truly wild car chase, rolled the car, escaped on foot, broke into the Mauderly’s house, took them captive — and then got caught off guard by a determined Jerome Mauderly who shot him dead as he was descending the stiarcase.
Click here for the Fox News report that provided much of the above factual detail.