Arkansas woman accused in Mississippi deputy marshal’s shooting

OXFORD, Miss. — An Arkansas woman was being held Thursday without bail in connection with the attempted murder of a deputy U.S. marshal.

The U.S. attorney’s office for Mississippi’s Northern District said in a news release Thursday that Xaveriana Cook, 23, of Smithville appeared Wednesday in U.S. Magistrate Court for a preliminary

hearing on multiple charges from a shootout May 15 in Oxford.

U.S. marshals were trying to arrest Cook’s boyfriend, Hunter Carlstrom, on a warrant charging him with the May 5 killing of James Sartorelli,

who was shot in the head at his home in Smithville, which is in Lawrence County.

Authorities made a traffic stop May 15 and Carlstrom and Cook were together in her car when members of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force tried to arrest Carlstrom on the warrant.

During the stop, Carlstrom shot a deputy and law enforcement officers returned fire, killing him.

At Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting, Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill identified the deputy as Bob Dickerson, who suffered internal injuries that required surgery,

The Oxford Eagle reported. His condition wasn’t immediately available Thursday.

Cook was arrested on several charges including transportation of stolen firearms, possession of stolen firearms, and aiding and abetting the attempt to kill a deputy U.S. marshal.

Authorities testified at the detention hearing that officers found stolen guns that had been taken from Sartorelli’s house.

After about three hours of testimony, U.S. Magistrate Judge Roy Percy found that Cook presented a flight risk and ordered her held without bail.