Former Ozark cop taken into custody after standoff in Dothan

Ebony Horton and Jim Cook
Published: October 9, 2008

A multi-hour standoff with a suicidal former cop ended with police forcibly entering his north Dothan apartment and taking him into custody.

Chris Ford, 33, a former Ozark police officer, sustained a self-inflicted knife wound and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to police. After treatment, he will be taken to the Houston County Jail and held on charges of domestic violence, first-degree burglary and violation of a protection order. More charges may be forthcoming.

According to police, Ford broke into his former mother-in-law’s Ozark residence on Thursday morning and assaulted his ex-wife, who had a protection order in place against him. A hearing on the protection order was set for Oct. 20. Ford had been served on Thursday, according to court records.

After the assault, Ford fled to Oates Estates apartments on Flynn Road in Dothan and barricaded himself inside. Ford also contacted Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson, and told him he wanted to end his life.

Police surrounded the apartment complex around noon and attempted to negotiate Ford’s surrender. During the standoff, Oates Estates residents were evacuated from the complex, and school buses set to drop off kids there were diverted to the nearby Vaughn-Blumberg center.

Trish Griggs, an Oates Estates resident, recalled the evacuation.

“They told us we had to get out, and I asked why, but they couldn’t tell us why,” she said.

Around 5 p.m., police entered the residence and took Ford into custody. Officers from the Dale County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the Ozark Police Department, the Dothan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals aided in the operation.

Dothan Police Chief John Powell said law enforcement officers had to be especially cautious with Ford’s apprehension because his police background made him very dangerous.

“He’s got the training, he knows what tactics are going to be utilized,” Powell said. “We want to make sure we have a resolution where nobody is harmed.”

As a member of the Ozark Police Department in 2004, Ford, the son of former Dale County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Walter Ford, was shot four times while trying to apprehend a violent suspect. He was seriously injured but recovered.

After that point, his career as a police officer took a sharp turn downward.

Ford was arrested on domestic violence charges in April of 2007, but he was acquitted. He resigned from the Ozark Police Department in November of last year and was employed as a police officer in Midland City.

Ford was involved in a standoff with Ozark police in late February following a domestic violence incident involving his wife. He was arrested on a domestic violence charge, bonded out of jail, and returned to his residence where his wife was retrieving personal items. Once there, he assaulted her again, according to police.

On Thursday, Ford’s page on the MySpace personal networking site displayed an appeal for his two children to call him.

“Daddy loves you,” the page said.