A Columbus man has pleaded guilty to the violent assault of a federal agent during an attempted arrest last year, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. Christopher Upshaw, known on the streets as “Trouble” and a member of the Zohannon gang, saw his bid for escape end with a guilty plea on January 23 for using deadly force against a law enforcement officer.
Upshaw, 25, could be staring down the barrel of a 20-year prison sentence without the possibility of parole, a stint to be followed by a supervised release of three years. He's also facing a hefty $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The hard-line stance comes after an FBI agent and a task force officer suffered injuries in an incident with Upshaw, who resisted arrest after being approached about a suspicious package linked to his address. “We will not tolerate such attacks against members of law enforcement, and Upshaw will now face justice,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary stated.
The package in question, traced back from Northern California to Upshaw’s Columbus home, was delivered on August 4 of last year and contained about 17 pounds of marijuana. When federal agents attempted to take Upshaw into custody, he lashed out violently, hitting an FBI Task Force Officer with his vehicle, and dragging another special agent with his speeding car towards a stationary vehicle, as per the Justice Department's report.
“This case shows the risk law enforcement officers face on a daily basis,” FBI Atlanta’s Columbus Resident Agency Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Rich Bilson reflected. Despite the turbulent confrontation, authorities expressed relief that injuries were not life-threatening. Upshaw's prior criminal record, including felony convictions for drug possession and charges in other states, paints a portrait of a long history with the law. He is still presumed innocent of attempted murder in Alabama, and resisting arrest in Miami until proven guilty, according to the statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The investigation leading to Upshaw's arrest was a collaborative effort involving the FBI, DEA, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and sheriff's offices from Muscogee and Coweta counties. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Williams is handling the prosecution, ensuring that Upshaw's latest brush with the law reaches a swift conclusion. As Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman hopes, the incident and Upshaw’s subsequent guilty plea should serve as a stark warning to others about the consequences of engaging in violent criminal behavior with law enforcement.
