In a tragic incident, a Virginia deputy connected with a 15-year-old girl online, journeyed cross-country, unlawfully entered her California home, took the lives of three family members, set their house ablaze, abducted the girl, and later ended his own life in a confrontation with law enforcement.
The surviving family is now pursuing legal action against the sheriff's department that hired him shortly before the horrific event.
In July 2021, Austin Lee Edwards joined the Virginia State Police, graduating from the police academy in January 2022. Having left his initial law enforcement position in October of the same year, Edwards was hired by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 16, 2022.
Tragically, on Nov. 25, 2022, he committed a brutal act, taking the lives of Mark Winek, 69, Sharon “Sharie” Winek, 65, and Brooke Winek, 38, the girl's mother.
According to lead attorney David Ring, Edwards, with a history of mental illness and a court order restricting his access to firearms, should never have been hired.
The lawsuit, filed by Mychelle Blandin, daughter and sister of the deceased, claims that the sheriff’s office failed to conduct a proper background check, neglecting Edwards' past psychiatric evaluation and threats of self-harm in 2016.
The lawsuit argues that despite being barred from owning firearms after a psychiatric stay, Edwards was hired and provided with a service weapon by the Sheriff's Office.
Using his authority, he posed as a 17-year-old boy online, gathering personal information about the girl. Edwards then traveled to California, deceived the family, and ultimately committed heinous crimes.
The legal action, initiated on the one-year anniversary of Edwards' hiring, emphasizes the need for law enforcement agencies to uphold the highest standards in screening new hires. Co-counsel Alison Saros asserts that the failure to follow proper processes has resulted in irreparable tragedy for the Winek family.
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