Central Georgia man admits threatening deputies with a shotgun, faces prison time
A central Georgia man who threatened to shoot and kill deputies has pleaded guilty and faces up to 15 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia said Wednesday.
Christopher Thomas Ford, of Toomsboro, which is 37 miles east of Macon, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon Monday before Judge Marc Treadwell in federal court. He’ll face up to 15 years followed by at least three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine.
Ford was previously convicted of possessing cocaine, terroristic threats, aggravated assault and cruelty to children. He’ll be sentenced in this new case on Oct. 9.
Court documents show that Ford’s case was initially heading toward a jury trial, scheduled for July 22. But he pleaded guilty Monday.
Ford’s plea agreement says that in December 2022, two Wilkinson County deputies arrived at a home in Toomsboro to follow up on a theft and terroristic threatening case. Ford had an active warrant at the time, according to his plea agreement. Investigators believed Ford was staying behind the residence.
After the officers approached and announced their presence, Ford began to threaten to shoot them, according to his plea agreement.
“I ain’t playing with y’all, I ain’t going back to prison,” Ford said, according to the document. “You can kill me or I’m going to kill y’all.”
The officers ordered him to show his hands, at which point he showed a black pump shotgun while leaning out of the doorway of the structure, according to the plea agreement. Both Ford and the deputies were in a stand-off, with the officers firing missed shots toward Ford, until he ran into the woods with the shotgun. The officers watched the property line until backup arrived, the plea agreement said.
The next day, Ford returned to the property and fell asleep. According to the plea agreement, one of Ford’s family members took the shotgun while he slept. It was turned over to law enforcement when they arrested Ford.
While in custody at the Jones County Jail, agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation interviewed Ford. He confessed to the threats, the plea agreement said, and said he knew he couldn’t have a gun as a convicted felon. Ford initially claimed he was holding a pellet gun, but he later admitted it was a loaded black Omega 12-gauge shotgun.
“Wilkinson County is safer now that guns are out of the hands of this person. If Ford had put finger to trigger, the entire community would have been in danger. We are thankful for the actions of the Wilkinson County deputies and Ford’s father,” said Robert Gibbs, FBI Atlanta’s supervisory senior resident agent of the Macon office. “We are firmly committed to working with all of our partners and using all tools available to curb the violence impacting the American people – here in Georgia, and across the country.”
“The GBI will continue to leverage our partnerships with local, state and federal agencies that are working to reduce violent crime. We will not tolerate acts that put our communities and law enforcement in danger, and we will work to make sure that dangerous criminals like Ford are off the streets,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey.
The attorney’s office said the case is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which brings together all levels of law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence as well as make their neighborhoods safer. The Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy in 2021, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia said strengthens the project.
The FBI, the GBI and the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office investigated Ford’s case.
“Convicted felons are prohibited from possessing firearms; our office will seek federal prosecution against people who disregard the law, especially those with violent criminal pasts,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program is aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Our office is dedicated to supporting the efforts of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to achieve this goal.”
