Thomasville man pleads guilty in weapons case

VALDOSTA — A Thomasville resident with a violent criminal history who fled from police after being caught illegally with multiple weapons — including a stolen AR-15 semi-automatic rifle — pleaded guilty to a firearms charge in federal court.

Torrieo Monte Johnson, aka Corker, 39, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson. Johnson has a criminal history that may subject him to armed career criminal status, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for July 20. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Felons with violent criminal histories simply cannot possess guns, let alone stolen ones,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a news release. “Under the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, our office is working closely with our law enforcement and community partners to focus enforcement efforts where they are needed most and hold violent repeat offenders accountable.”

“Violent repeat offenders possessing stolen firearms is a dangerous combination,” ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka, said. “In this case, we have the best possible outcome in that a stolen firearm has been removed from the streets and Mr. Johnson will spend a significant amount of time in federal prison.”

According to court documents and other evidence, Johnson — a convicted felon — and another individual ran from Thomasville Police Department officers after they discovered multiple weapons inside the vehicle Johnson was driving on June 26, 2019.

The officers found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a .22 semi-automatic rifle, and a Spikes Tactical .223 semi-automatic rifle, along with multiple firearm magazines and boxes of ammunition.

The Spikes Tactical weapon was reported stolen during a burglary at a Thomasville residence on June 17, 2019. Arrest warrants were issued for Johnson, and he was captured in Tallahassee, Fla., on July 3, 2019. Johnson has a lengthy criminal history that includes felony convictions for arson in the first degree, distribution of a controlled substance and burglary.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.

The case was investigated by the Thomasville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonja Profit prosecuted the case for the government.

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