Kingston man accused of threatening police, attorneys, Plymouth court staff

David R. Smith, The Patriot Ledger
Updated ·3 min read
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BOSTON – A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted a Kingston man who worked as a Middlesex County sheriff’s deputy, accusing him of threatening to burn down the Plymouth County courthouse, kill court security officers and “get” Middlesex County sheriff’s officers.

Joshua P. Ford, 42, originally of Melrose, was indicted Wednesday, Aug. 30, on three counts of interstate transmission of a threatening communication, federal prosecutors said. Ford is in state custody and will appear in U.S. District Court in Boston at a later date, according to a Department of Justice news release.

While being held, Ford was evicted from his Center Street apartment in a ruling issued last month from Plymouth District Court, which listed his current address as Bridgewater State Hospital..

According to the indictment, Ford was a deputy for the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office from 2009 to 2017.

Prosecutors say Ford sent 12 emails to about 140 people, almost all of them Massachusetts law enforcement officers. Prosecutors say each email contained the same message: “(There) is no more justice system anymore just WAR” and “I am calling on all able-bodied officers my brothers in blue to suit up for a fight. Grab your vest, grab your guns, cruisers, shotguns, M16's and armored vehicles! Tomorrow, we burn down the Plymouth County Courthouse to the ground."

The emails included a link to a video Ford posted on YouTube and the British video hosting service BitChute.

The video preceded a March 14 court date in Plymouth. He was arrested March 13.

According to the indictment, the video is an 11-minute recording of Ford in his Kingston kitchen delivering a threatening and profanity-laden monologue outlining how he has been abused by the justice system and how he planned to remedy that.

In the video, Ford claims there have been plots to kill him by law enforcement officials and that the woman with whom he shares a daughter, who was 7 at the time of the posting, has tried to paint him as a child abuser.

He also contends the mob runs the courts and police departments. Some of the other comments include:

  • "There are only two sides to this from this point on. You’re either a good man or woman standing by my side to save this state, to save this country and to save my daughter or you’re standing in front of me and you’re going to reap the f***ing whirlwind for being a corrupt motherf***er!

  • "I am going to see f***ing justice done, or I'm going to go down in f***ing  flames, and I'm going to take as many of those mother***ers with me as I f***ing can. God bless you all and f*** the rest of them, because I'm going to take him to hell with me.”

  • "You want to go to bed at night and know your children are safe and you won't be murdered for being a good guy."

  • He described his current attorney as a “douchebag owned by the mob” and his former ones as losers and “scumbag mother f***ers."

  • "I am calling on all able-bodied officers, my brothers in blue, to suit up for a fight. Grab your vests, grab your guns, cruisers, shotguns, M16's and armored vehicles!”

According to a federal indictment, Joshua Ford, of Kingston, threatened to attack Plymouth court staff in a March 13, 2023, video.
According to a federal indictment, Joshua Ford, of Kingston, threatened to attack Plymouth court staff in a March 13, 2023, video.

The charges of interstate transmission of a threatening communication each carry a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Kingston and Marshfield police assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Beck, of the National Security Unit, is prosecuting the case.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Deputy indicted on charges of threats at Plymouth courthouse