Thomasville Man with Violent Criminal Past Pleads Guilty to Gun Charge

ALBANY, Ga. – A South Georgia man with a prior conviction for rape and kidnapping who was wanted for a north Florida bank robbery and captured in Georgia after attempting to run from deputies while carrying a firearm is facing a maximum of 15 years in prison on a federal gun charge.

Jonathan Lamar Wooten, aka “Chico,” 53, of Thomasville, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands on April 9. Wooten faces a maximum of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Violent felons caught with guns will be prosecuted federally in the Middle District of Georgia, where penalties are tough and there is no parole,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our office is committed to strictly enforcing federal gun laws and working with law enforcement to bring repeat offenders to justice.”

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, there was a bank shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, on May 5, 2023, in which Wooten was allegedly involved and now is facing state charges in Florida for attempted murder, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt. Florida authorities issued a BOLO for Wooten, with a description of the Ford F-150 he was allegedly driving from the scene of the bank shooting.

Thomas County, Georgia, deputies spotted the F-150 and attempted to pull it over when a chase ensued. After several minutes, Wooten slowed the vehicle, jumped out of the pickup truck and ran. Both officers saw a gun in Wooten’s hand as he fled. Wooten discarded the Glock firearm behind a building on North Boulevard in Thomasville and he was found within minutes, sitting on the ground with his back against the building. The Ford F-150 Wooten drove was stolen in Grady County, Georgia. The Glock was compared to and matched the shell casings collected at the Tallahassee bank shooting. Wooten has a prior conviction in Thomas County Superior Court for rape and kidnapping. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The Thomas County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Tallahassee Police Department, Homicide Unit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonja Profit is prosecuting the case for the Government.