White Hall Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening ATF Officer's Life

A White Hall man pleaded guilty last Friday on charges he threatened to murder an ATF Task Force officer, according to a news release from the Maryland U.S. Attorney's office.

Craig Allen Shepperd, 37, told the ATF officer on March 8 that he would shoot him in the head. The threat came when the officer and a Baltimore County police detective went to the Baltimore County Detention Center to charge Sheppard with arson for his involvement in a Monkton horse farm that burned down in August 2010, according to the release.

Shepperd said once he got out of jail he would meet the ATF officer at a restaurant and neither would make it out alive. Shepperd also said under another scenario he would cause a scene and wait in the woods to shoot the officer in the head when he responded, according to the release.

Investigators said they recorded several conversations Shepperd had with his father and another individual where he repeated his threats on the federal agent's life.

As part of a plea agreement, Shepperd will be sentenced to eight years in jail. Sentencing in this case is set for Feb. 12.