Joshua Thomas

Joshua Thomas, a resident listed in public arrest records, was taken into custody on April 5, 2025, in Effingham County, Georgia. According to the official booking report, the arrest was made by local authorities and the subject was charged with the following offense(s): AGGRAVATED ASSAULTTERRORISTIC THREATS AND ACTS – FELONYOfficer’s Narrative:[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]On 04/05/2025 at approximately 1944 hours I responded to [2000 BLOCK] Sand Hill Rd in reference to a fight between two siblings, in which one was threatening the other with a knife. I responded with my lights and siren activated and arrived onscene at 1958 hours.Upon arrival I observed a number of people in the front yard of the residence, including a male in a black shirt being restrained on the ground in a sitting position by an older white male. I spoke to them and determined the male in the black shirt, Joshua Thomas, was the male who had been threatening another with the knife. Joshua was detained at that time and bleeding was observed from the back of his head. The man restraining him, his father [WITNESS #1], stated that he had been running a knife down his arms after threatening his brother and Mr. [WITNESS #1] believed he was attempting to cut his wrists. In order to protect the individuals around him and prevent him from harming himself, Mr. [WITNESS #1] had struck him in the back of the head with a rock and disarmed him before restraining him.I then began collecting statements from those involved. Mr. [VICTIM #1], Mr. Joshua’s brother, stated that he and his girlfriend had returned from a job cutting down trees and were in the front yard in their vehicle talking when his phone died. He went inside to get a charger and was unable to find his phone charger in his room. He located it in his brother Joshua’s room, so he asked his brother why he kept taking his things from his room. This sparked an argument which moved outside. Mr. Joshua began threatening to beat Mr. [VICTIM #1], so he stated if he did touch him he would call the police. Mr. Joshua moved on to insulting Mr. [VICTIM #1]’s girlfriend before going inside and coming outside with a knife. Mr. [VICTIM #1] then pulled out the chainsaw he’d been using to cut trees to protect himself, at which point their parents arrived. Mr. Joshua threw that knife away but kept arguing before going inside and coming out with another knife, running it down his arms before being stopped by his father.Their mother, [WITNESS #2], stated that Mr. Joshua Thomas had been acting aggressive for about a week. She and her husband had been at a low country boil with some friends and returned to find Mr. Joshua threatening his brother with a knife in the front yard, at which point they called law enforcement. Mr. Joshua continued to shout and argue with his brother until stopped by his father. Mrs. [WITNESS #2] stated that from what she observed, Mr. Joshua had been the aggressor.I then spoke to Ms. [WITNESS #3], Mr. [VICTIM #1]’s girlfriend. Ms. [WITNESS #3] stated that she and Mr. [VICTIM #1] had been in the front yard of the residence in their vehicle and his phone had been dying, so he went inside to get a charger. He came back outside followed by his brother, who was yelling at him, and Mr. Joshua began making rude comments about her and how she was supposedly cheating on Mr. [VICTIM #1]. She stated that he threatened to grab something to use against Mr. [VICTIM #1] and went back inside. Mr. [VICTIM #1] asked her if she had anything they could use to defend themselves if necessary, and she stated she did not. She then saw Mr. Joshua come outside with a kitchen knife in his hand. Mr. [VICTIM #1] grabbed the chainsaw out of the back of their vehicle in response and they continued to argue. At that point, Mr. [VICTIM #1] and Mr. Joshua’s parents arrived and Mr. [VICTIM #1] dropped the chainsaw. Mr. Joshua continued to argue and eventually threw the kitchen knife across the yard away from them before continuing to argue. After a few minutes, he went back inside, retrieved another kitchen knife, and began running it down his arms before being restrained by Mr. [WITNESS #1].I spoke to Mr. Joshua Thomas and he stated that his brother was a druggee and was crazy and that they had argued. He claimed that Mr. [VICTIM #1] had grabbed a chainsaw, so he went inside, grabbed a kitchen knife, and came back outside. He stated that after Mr. [WITNESS #1] arrived he threw a rock at the back of his head. Mr. Joshua insisted that Mr. [VICTIM #1] had grabbed the chainsaw first and that he did so because he hadn’t had drugs recently and was therefore acting crazy. Mr. Joshua was bleeding from the back of his head, where he had been hit by the rock, and had very minor scratches that were not bleeding on his arms from running the knife down his arm.I then observed a video that had been taken by a family member after Mr. and Mrs. [WITNESS #2] had arrived. The first two minutes of the video, taken after the arrival of his parents, showed Mr. [VICTIM #1] with no chainsaw in his hands arguing with Mr. Joshua, who held a knife. Mr. Joshua waved the knife aggressively, getting close to Mr. [VICTIM #1] before Mr. [VICTIM #1] moved, and showed Mr. Joshua yelling “I’m going to stab you in the throat.” Mr. [VICTIM #1] was thus placed in reasonable fear of sustaining a violent injury and his life was threatened.Upon investigation, I found it unlikely that Mr. Joshua, when confronted with a chainsaw, would go inside to retrieve a kitchen knife that would be an inadequate weapon when compared to a chainsaw and then return outside to where an active threat was. I also found it notable that once the chainsaw was removed from the scene, Mr. Joshua continued to threaten Mr. [VICTIM #1] with his knife. In addition, Mr. Joshua discarded one knife before going inside the residence and retreiving another after the chainsaw was removed from the scene. Based on these facts, I found it more likely that the version of the story being told by Mr. [VICTIM #1] and Ms. [WITNESS #3] was correct.Mr. Joshua was arrested and placed in handcuffs with the cuffs checked for fit and double-locked. He was transported to the hospital, where he was medically treated and cleared before being transferred to the Effingham County Jail where he awaits further court action. Due to his actions of running a knife down his arms, jail staff placed him on suicide watch as a precaution. Mr. [VICTIM #1] and other witnesses completed witness statements, which were added to the case file.[End of Narrative]. This incident was officially recorded and made publicly available by law enforcement agencies in the state of Georgia. The details provided reflect the arrest information at the time of booking and do not indicate guilt or conviction. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Name of Accused:
Thomas, Joshua Timothy Gage

Date of Arrest:
04/05/2025

Charges For Arrest:
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
TERRORISTIC THREATS AND ACTS – FELONY
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On 04/05/2025 at approximately 1944 hours I responded to [2000 BLOCK] Sand Hill Rd in reference to a fight between two siblings, in which one was threatening the other with a knife. I responded with my lights and siren activated and arrived onscene at 1958 hours.
Upon arrival I observed a number of people in the front yard of the residence, including a male in a black shirt being restrained on the ground in a sitting position by an older white male. I spoke to them and determined the male in the black shirt, Joshua Thomas, was the male who had been threatening another with the knife. Joshua was detained at that time and bleeding was observed from the back of his head. The man restraining him, his father [WITNESS #1], stated that he had been running a knife down his arms after threatening his brother and Mr. [WITNESS #1] believed he was attempting to cut his wrists. In order to protect the individuals around him and prevent him from harming himself, Mr. [WITNESS #1] had struck him in the back of the head with a rock and disarmed him before restraining him.
I then began collecting statements from those involved. Mr. [VICTIM #1], Mr. Joshua’s brother, stated that he and his girlfriend had returned from a job cutting down trees and were in the front yard in their vehicle talking when his phone died. He went inside to get a charger and was unable to find his phone charger in his room. He located it in his brother Joshua’s room, so he asked his brother why he kept taking his things from his room. This sparked an argument which moved outside. Mr. Joshua began threatening to beat Mr. [VICTIM #1], so he stated if he did touch him he would call the police. Mr. Joshua moved on to insulting Mr. [VICTIM #1]’s girlfriend before going inside and coming outside with a knife. Mr. [VICTIM #1] then pulled out the chainsaw he’d been using to cut trees to protect himself, at which point their parents arrived. Mr. Joshua threw that knife away but kept arguing before going inside and coming out with another knife, running it down his arms before being stopped by his father.
Their mother, [WITNESS #2], stated that Mr. Joshua Thomas had been acting aggressive for about a week. She and her husband had been at a low country boil with some friends and returned to find Mr. Joshua threatening his brother with a knife in the front yard, at which point they called law enforcement. Mr. Joshua continued to shout and argue with his brother until stopped by his father. Mrs. [WITNESS #2] stated that from what she observed, Mr. Joshua had been the aggressor.
I then spoke to Ms. [WITNESS #3], Mr. [VICTIM #1]’s girlfriend. Ms. [WITNESS #3] stated that she and Mr. [VICTIM #1] had been in the front yard of the residence in their vehicle and his phone had been dying, so he went inside to get a charger. He came back outside followed by his brother, who was yelling at him, and Mr. Joshua began making rude comments about her and how she was supposedly cheating on Mr. [VICTIM #1]. She stated that he threatened to grab something to use against Mr. [VICTIM #1] and went back inside. Mr. [VICTIM #1] asked her if she had anything they could use to defend themselves if necessary, and she stated she did not. She then saw Mr. Joshua come outside with a kitchen knife in his hand. Mr. [VICTIM #1] grabbed the chainsaw out of the back of their vehicle in response and they continued to argue. At that point, Mr. [VICTIM #1] and Mr. Joshua’s parents arrived and Mr. [VICTIM #1] dropped the chainsaw. Mr. Joshua continued to argue and eventually threw the kitchen knife across the yard away from them before continuing to argue. After a few minutes, he went back inside, retrieved another kitchen knife, and began running it down his arms before being restrained by Mr. [WITNESS #1].
I spoke to Mr. Joshua Thomas and he stated that his brother was a druggee and was crazy and that they had argued. He claimed that Mr. [VICTIM #1] had grabbed a chainsaw, so he went inside, grabbed a kitchen knife, and came back outside. He stated that after Mr. [WITNESS #1] arrived he threw a rock at the back of his head. Mr. Joshua insisted that Mr. [VICTIM #1] had grabbed the chainsaw first and that he did so because he hadn’t had drugs recently and was therefore acting crazy. Mr. Joshua was bleeding from the back of his head, where he had been hit by the rock, and had very minor scratches that were not bleeding on his arms from running the knife down his arm.
I then observed a video that had been taken by a family member after Mr. and Mrs. [WITNESS #2] had arrived. The first two minutes of the video, taken after the arrival of his parents, showed Mr. [VICTIM #1] with no chainsaw in his hands arguing with Mr. Joshua, who held a knife. Mr. Joshua waved the knife aggressively, getting close to Mr. [VICTIM #1] before Mr. [VICTIM #1] moved, and showed Mr. Joshua yelling “I’m going to stab you in the throat.” Mr. [VICTIM #1] was thus placed in reasonable fear of sustaining a violent injury and his life was threatened.
Upon investigation, I found it unlikely that Mr. Joshua, when confronted with a chainsaw, would go inside to retrieve a kitchen knife that would be an inadequate weapon when compared to a chainsaw and then return outside to where an active threat was. I also found it notable that once the chainsaw was removed from the scene, Mr. Joshua continued to threaten Mr. [VICTIM #1] with his knife. In addition, Mr. Joshua discarded one knife before going inside the residence and retreiving another after the chainsaw was removed from the scene. Based on these facts, I found it more likely that the version of the story being told by Mr. [VICTIM #1] and Ms. [WITNESS #3] was correct.
Mr. Joshua was arrested and placed in handcuffs with the cuffs checked for fit and double-locked. He was transported to the hospital, where he was medically treated and cleared before being transferred to the Effingham County Jail where he awaits further court action. Due to his actions of running a knife down his arms, jail staff placed him on suicide watch as a precaution. Mr. [VICTIM #1] and other witnesses completed witness statements, which were added to the case file.
[End of Narrative]