Ruth faces federal weapons charges

By JARED STRONG
j.strong@carrollspaper.com

The 36-year-old Jefferson man who allegedly plotted to shoot and kill police officers has been charged with five crimes in federal court, each of which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Tyson Ruth — a felon — is accused of possessing two sawed-off shotguns, two pistols and a rifle in December.

He had faced a district court felony charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm — punishable by up to five years in prison — but Carroll County Attorney John Werden dismissed the case last month, alluding to the federal charges, which were filed a week later.

Ruth was transferred to an Iowa prison for his recent burglary, theft and trespassing convictions in Dallas and Greene counties.

He will be held in a state prison as he awaits a federal trial for the new charges, which include possession of an unregistered firearm and being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of firearms.

Ruth does not face a charge for his alleged domestic terror plot with his wife Joey to use guns, bombs and biological weapons in a “final showdown” at the Greene County Law Enforcement Center, court records show.

They acquired body armor, numerous firearms and ammunition and had the makings of an explosive, according to the records.

Ruth, in a jailhouse interview with The Jefferson Herald, said that he did not actually plan to attack police officers, and that his ramblings about an attack were merely the result of him being “really, really high” on drugs.

Joey Ruth — who was arrested along with her husband for the local weapons charge — pleaded guilty last month in Carroll and is serving up to five years in prison.

She faces no federal charges.