Clifton Eugene Peterman, 51, of Eatonton, Georgia, is headed to federal prison for 188 months after being caught with a cache of illegal firearms and methamphetamine. The career criminal, already on parole for prior felony convictions, was sentenced on August 12 by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentences run concurrently but consecutively to his existing state sentence—ensuring Peterman won’t see freedom for at least 15 years.
On the day of the bust, officers with the Department of Community Supervision executed a legal search of Peterman’s home under the terms of his parole. What they found was a stockpile of weapons: five in total, including a semi-automatic rifle, a lever-action rifle, two semiautomatic pistols, and a .38spl caliber revolver. Alongside the arsenal, authorities seized methamphetamine that Peterman admitted he planned to sell. Despite being under state supervision, Peterman chose to rearm and reoffend—this time under federal radar.
Past convictions didn’t deter him. In 2015, Peterman was convicted in Putnam County Superior Court for possession of meth, a controlled substance, and a firearm as a felon. That wasn’t his first trip either. On October 6, 2005, Jones County convicted him on charges including possession with intent to distribute meth, theft by receiving stolen property, illegal firearm possession, and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. He was back in federal court less than a year later—March 21, 2006—for another sawed-off shotgun charge. The pattern is clear: Peterman operates outside the law, regardless of consequences.
“The defendant is a career criminal that clearly has no respect for the law and has shown no remorse for his past crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Charles “Charlie” Peeler. “He will now spend the next 15 years in a federal prison, where there is no parole, and he will no longer be free to wreak havoc in our community.” Peeler credited the Department of Community Supervision, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI for their relentless work in dismantling Peterman’s ongoing criminal activity.
FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker offered little hope for redemption but some reassurance for the public. “Peterman will get yet another chance to turn his life around in prison, and if not, the communities he has preyed upon can at least take solace that he won’t be able to threaten their well-being for a long time.” Hacker emphasized that federal sentencing removes the revolving door of state parole that often allows violent recidivists back onto the streets too soon.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills didn’t mince words: “Clifton Peterman is a career criminal, a true recidivist and a virtual crime machine.” He welcomed the federal intervention, noting that unlike Georgia’s lenient probation and parole systems, the federal prison term ensures Peterman is locked away for 15 years—providing real public safety. The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods and Project Guardian, two DOJ initiatives targeting violent offenders and illegal gun possession. For now, Peterman’s crime spree is over—behind federal bars, with no way out for more than a decade.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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