Sheriff's Office Employee Arrested After Claiming Two Black Males Shot Him During Botched Carjacking Attempt

SPRING HILL – A Hernando County Sheriff's Office employee is in hot water, after an incident early Friday morning landed him behind bars.

Yesterday, R News reported that an alleged armed carjacking occurred at Linda Pedersen Park around 3:00 a.m. Friday morning. Sources say, the victim claimed that two black males held him at gunpoint and attempted to steal his car. The victim claimed he was shot by one of the suspects in the thigh, before they fled the scene. The victim was transported to a nearby trauma center for treatment. A massive search for two armed suspects began, but the focus of the investigation quickly shifted towards the victim.

Today, R News received information from sources who say the alleged victim, 21-year-old Dakotah Wayne Wood, fabricated the carjacking story, and that he actually shot himself.

Around 8:00 p.m. last night, Wood was formally charged from his hospital bedside on charges of Tampering, Destroying, or Fabricating Evidence. Making False Reports of a Crime, and Firing a Weapon on Public Property. Wood will have to post a $7,000 bond once he is discharged from the hospital.

Wood is currently employed at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office as a dispatcher, and sources say he is in the process of becoming a sworn officer. Earlier this year, Wood received a Field Training Officer Certificate from Sheriff Al Nienhuis.

It is unknown why Wood was in the park that early in the morning, but Linda Pedersen Park is known as a "gay cruising" area for anonymous sexual encounters.

The Sheriff's Office has not commented on the arrest.