Timothy Crider, Illegally Possessing a Firearm, Ohio 2022

DAYTON, OH – Timothy Crider, 29, is headed to federal prison for nearly a decade after a brazen theft landed him in the crosshairs of both local police and federal agents. Crider was sentenced to 96 months – eight years – in U.S. District Court for illegally possessing a firearm he stole during a carjacking.

The case unfolded on March 13, 2021, when Dayton police responded to a possible overdose near Watts Street and Burkhart Avenue. Instead of a medical emergency, officers found Crider behind the wheel of a stolen gold Jaguar. A check revealed an outstanding warrant for Crider’s arrest related to the theft of both the vehicle and a distinctive pink revolver.

A search of the Jaguar revealed the stolen firearm tucked under the driver’s seat. Forensic analysis confirmed Crider’s DNA was all over the weapon, cementing his connection to the crime. But this wasn’t Crider’s first brush with the law. Court records show a history of violent offenses, including prior convictions for robbery resulting in injury and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon – felonies that already barred him from legally owning a gun.

Crider pleaded guilty to the federal charge in July 2022. However, his legal troubles didn’t end there. While awaiting sentencing on the federal firearm charge, Crider managed to further incriminate himself by spitting on a corrections officer in Shelby County, Ohio, knowing he was infected with hepatitis C. This act earned him an additional 30-month sentence in Shelby County Common Pleas Court, to be served before his federal term.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker, alongside ATF Special Agent in Charge Daryl S. McCormick and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal, announced the sentencing, which was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Saunders prosecuted the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program designed to target the most violent offenders and reduce crime in local communities.

The PSN initiative, officials say, focuses on a collaborative approach involving law enforcement and community stakeholders to address the root causes of violence. Crider’s case serves as a stark reminder that possessing a firearm after a felony conviction carries serious consequences, and that further criminal acts while awaiting trial will only exacerbate those penalties. The ATF’s Columbus Field Division played a key role in the investigation.

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