Manhunt Suspect Who Allegedly Shot at Judge Has Trial Date Set

HARRISBURG, Ark. — The man accused of shooting at a judge on August 23 in Poinsett County appeared in court on October 15.

Christopher Ford, 35, appeared on Tuesday, October 15 in Poinsett County Circuit Court, represented by attorney Theodora Thompson, according to court documents. Judge Pam Honeycutt signed the scheduling order, setting a motion and plea date for November 18 and a jury trial for December 9-13.

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Ford is being charged with attempted capital murder. Alone, that is punishable by up to life in prison. There are also charges for terroristic act, possession of a firearm by certain persons, forgery, terroristic threatening, manufacture of schedule VI controlled substances, and cruelty to animals, the only misdemeanor charge on the list otherwise exclusively felonious.

Two charges of aggravated assault, which were included as charges he was arrested on, do not appear on the October 3 criminal information filing sheet. However, those can be amended.

At about 8:33 p.m. on August 23, Poinsett County 911 received a call from Judge Ron Hunter reporting that an unidentified man was threatening him on his property, according to a release from the sheriff’s office. Deputies responded but they were unable to find the individual.

At around 9:33 p.m., the judge’s wife called 911 to report someone had fired shots at their home. A deputy arrived shortly after the call and spoke to the judge. As they were speaking, the unknown suspect began shooting at the judge and the deputy. The deputy radioed ‘shots fired.’ As other deputies arrived, the shooter then redirected their fire toward responding officers, the release said. No people were injured but a mule belonging to the judge was shot, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office, Craighead County Sheriff’s Office, Harrisburg Police Department, Jonesboro Police Department, and Arkansas State Police mobilized to search for the suspect, including the use of three drones.

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on August 24, a search warrant was executed by the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, and FBI in the Greenfield area on Daisy Road. This operation was linked to the shooting incident involving the judge on the evening of August 23.

At about 2:45 p.m. on Monday, August 26, Ford went before Judge Scott Ellington for a probable cause hearing. Judge Ellington found probable cause and set bail at $5 million cash or surety. Ford has remained in Poinsett County Detention Center since then, online jail records show.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Suspect Arrested After Firing Shots at Judge, Law Enforcement in Poinsett County