MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — WPTV is listening to local law enforcement who responded to Ryan Routh’s arrest along I-95 last September.
WPTV reporter Tyler Hatfield spoke with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, who says this arrest was one of the biggest in their history.
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“This was our moment of truth," said Sheriff John Budensiek.
On Monday, as jury selection begins for Routh’s alleged assassination attempt of President Donald Trump, we listened to Sheriff Budensiek, who said his team's training, teamwork and communication between Palm Beach County and other agencies made this arrest a success.
"This was seamless,” said Sheriff Budensiek. “You have all these operators out there, tactically, everybody was sound. There were no missteps that had taken place."
While Sheriff Budensiek wasn't leading the department at the time, he said deputies were ready for anything—even the chance of Routh not complying.
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"He would have died right there on the side of I-95 at the 110 mile marker,” said Sheriff Budensiek. “That's how serious the information was and that's how we were responding."
WPTV also spoke with Major Josh Kloster, who said every unit in the county—even those off duty—responded to the call.
“The most high-pressure situation that we're probably going to face in our careers is unfolding right now,” said Kloster. "Anybody who got that message page dropped what they were doing, left their house, left lunch with their family, whatever they were doing, and got to Interstate 95 as fast as they could."
"We're proud that we were able to hand him up to the court system,” said Sheriff Budensiek. “Now they can do their job, and justice can be served here in the United States of America.”
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