HINDMAN – A Floyd County man is behind bars for allegedly threatening a local judge and his ex-wife with a firearm after a family court dispute.
On February 13, Timothy Crager, 45, of Garrett was arrested at the Knott County Justice Center on a warrant obtained that same day that stated he had reportedly attempted to intimidate a participant in the legal process when he threatened Knott Circuit Judge Kim Childers in order to influence her opinion or rulings in a pending family court case in Knott County, citing numerous Facebook posts and threats over the course of several months.
Just before 5 p.m. that same day, Crager’s vehicle was reportedly parked outside the court building, with Knott County Sheriff Department executing a search warrant on his pickup truck, with police finding a black backpack in the backseat containing a stainless and wood-handled Ruger .44 Magnum Revolver. Police did a criminal history search and determined Crager was a felon from charges in Ohio, therefore making it illegal for him to possess any firearms.
In another criminal complaint warrant issued the day after his arrest stemming from what was found during that search, Knott County Sheriff Deputy Wesley Bolen, accused Crager of committing the offense of criminal attempted murder, terroristic threatening, second degree, and stalking in the first degree. According to that complaint, Crager allegedly intentionally stalked Judge Childers at her place of work, the Knott County Judicial Center, and made threats to cause serious physical injury or death to her while he had a deadly weapon on or about his person.
According to the warrant, he allegedly stalked her where she worked and threatened to come to the Knott County Judicial Center and harm her with a firearm. He then went and obtained a firearm, drove to the judicial center, and awaited her exit from the facility for the purpose of killing Judge Childers.
In another warrant, he is charged with second-degree terroristic threatening and intimidating a participant in the legal process for allegedly threatening to come to an event open to the public in Knott Circuit Court and harm his ex-wife with a firearm. Deputy Bolen reported in that warrant that Crager had reportedly used harassing communications directed at his ex-wife, a participant in the legal process, to influence the decision of said person in court proceedings.
Crager was taken into custody after police reportedly found him outside of the justice center with a handgun after threatening Judge Childers, and is currently being held at the Kentucky River Regional Jail in Hazard.
Judge Childers, who also serves at the Magoffin County Circuit Judge, was physically unharmed from the alleged incident, with police alerted to Crager’s presence and possession of a gun and able to apprehend him before anything else could happen.
On February 21, Kentucky State Police Trooper Huff also executed a search warrant at Crager’s residence, reportedly finding a Revelation .410 single shotgun, Hi-Point 9mm Carbine Model: 995, and a Glenfield Model 60 .22 caliber rifle, along with several boxes of ammunition. According to the citation, Crager is the only individual who lives at that residence.
Crager has posted extensively about his experience with the family court process as far back as 2023, very publicly heavily scrutinizing his former attorney, his ex-wife and Judge Childers.
He now faces the following charges in five felony cases in Knott County, with hearings scheduled in four of them for April 24 and May 8 in the other case: four counts of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon; two counts of intimidating a participant in the legal process, two counts of second-degree terroristic threatening; first-degree stalking; and murder (attempt).
Editor’s Note: The indictment or charge of a person by a grand jury or otherwise is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
