Christopher Melton
by Teresa Eubanks, Journal Editor
BLOUNTSTOWN – After a night on the run, the man wanted for the July 14 shooting at a Blountstown home is behind bars at the Calhoun County Jail.
Christopher Melton, 24, is charged with second-degree attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
He was found around 9 a.m. on July 15 at a home off CR 73B, about a mile and a half northwest of Shelton’s Corner, according to Blountstown Police Chief Mark Mallory.
“He was hiding in a shower in the back bedroom at the home of Cassie Crutchfield on Tyler Lane,” the chief said.
Blountstown Police Officers, Calhoun and Jackson County deputies and a K-9 team from Jackson Correctional Institution surrounded the home.
When Crutchfield answered the door, she admitted someone was in the house but acted as though she didn’t know him, Mallory said. “I think his name is Chris,” she told them.
After he was pulled out of his hiding place, Melton was brought into the living room and laid down on floor.
“He said he just got dropped off there….they said they didn’t know each other,” according to Mallory.
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Early last week, Devon Sherrod, 20, of Bristol was shot in the groin outside the Juniper Avenue home that Melton shares with his grandmother, his girlfriend and another couple, according to the police chief.
According to a statement from Sherrod, Melton and Sherrod’s former girlfriend – with whom he has a baby – had exchanged several messages through Facebook prior to the shooting.
He said the two had asked him to come to the Juniper Avenue house. He said he was “trying to get his child.”
Sherrod said he had spent the previous night at the Cherokee Motel and left there on a bicycle, riding to Melton’s home.
He said he parked his bike and went up to the house when Melton walked out holding a .357 Magnum in his hand and pointed it at Sherrod’s head.
According to the victim, Melton asked, “Do you want it in the head or stomach?”
He said Melton then lowered his hand and fired, hitting him in the groin. The bullet exited through his buttocks.
Melton went into the house. Another man living there heard the noise, came out and tried to help control the bleeding.
In a recorded interview Friday, Sherrod told investigators that after he was shot, he crawled
over to the front door and pushed it open in hopes of getting someone to call for help.
While he was laying at the door, he said Melton came by and asked, “Do you want another one?”
Investigators later discovered the gun used in the shooting was hidden under the cushion of a chair in the home before Melton fled.
Melton’s grandmother called 911 when she learned what had happened.
Sherrod was taken to Bay Medical Center, where he was in stable condition following surgery that night, according to Capt. Adam Terry of the Blountstown Police Department.
When law enforcement officers were searching the property for Melton, Sherrod’s former girlfriend was found hiding in a truck parked next to the home.
The 17-year-old girl, who had outstanding warrants in Liberty County, was handcuffed and removed from the scene.
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“They were roommates; Melton kicked him out about a month and a half ago,” Mallory said about the two men.
He said it appeared the dispute was related to “money and drugs,” noting, “Both sides had indicated there had been drug activity.” He said it’s thought the men may have been involved in a drug known as “Flakka” which causes erratic behavior. He said that no drugs were found at the home.
In a recorded statement taken last week, Sherrod said he “had fronted” an Altha man in getting two-and-a half pounds of Mojo (synthetic marijuana). Instead of paying him back, “he cut me out and paid Melton,” Sherrod said.
Sherrod had previously lived at the Juniper Avenue home with his girlfriend until she and Melton reportedly got together, according to the police chief. He said another couple was also staying at the home. Everyone there denied seeing the shooting.
How did he get away? “We had a confirmed sighting of him at the Piggly Wiggly parking lot,” according to Mallory. “He admits making it to the store and claimed he found a buddy’s vehicle in the parking lot and took it.” Investigators believe he called someone to pick him up. Along the way, Melton, who was wearing only a blue pair of shorts, picked up some clothing. When he was taken into custody he had on a pair of blue jeans and socks.
At some point, Melton was in Jackson County, according to the police chief, who said the sheriff’s office has arrested one person who aided Melton in his escape and was talking with another.