Lake County Gazette

Lake County Sheriff's deputies, with the assistance of K-9 officers, apprehended a man on June 25 after he allegedly threatened to stab individuals at a Wadsworth property where he resided.

"We are very pleased our Patrol Division and Canine Teams were able to successfully apprehend this violent man, before someone was seriously injured or worse," Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said in a news release. "Great job to Canines Hemi and Danno and congratulations to Canine Hemi on his first track resulting in a find."

According to the release, deputies responded around 9:40 a.m. to an address in the 15900 block of West Wadsworth Road for an aggravated assault report. Upon arrival, they learned that Joshua W. Marksberry, 39, allegedly brandished a knife at one victim and threatened another person on the property. The suspect fled on foot before deputies arrived and was not immediately located.

A person matching Marksberry's description was later seen near Wadsworth Road and Dilleys Road. Deputies established a perimeter around the area, with K-9 Hemi led by Deputy Kevin Zerbe and K-9 Danno led by Deputy Andrew Martini conducting searches within it. Hemi guided deputies toward a tent in a wooded area where the suspect was found and taken into custody without incident.

Following a review by the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, charges of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon (class 3 felony) and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (class A misdemeanor) were approved against Marksberry. He had previously been charged in connection with the 2017 stabbing of his roommate.

The release noted that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.