Violent felon convicted for crime spree that included a carjacking, attempted robbery, and firearm offenses

SAVANNAH, GA:  A U.S. District Court jury found a previously convicted felon guilty on all charges for a violent 2019 crime spree across south Georgia.

Alfred Wisher, 39, faces a minimum sentence of 14 years in prison after jurors convicted him on all 11 counts in a federal indictment related to a July 2019 series of violent crimes and firearm offenses in the Savannah and Waycross areas, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Wisher remains in custody, and sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker is set for October. 

“Alfred Wisher and his accomplice are dangerous, violent criminals who are being held accountable for terrorizing innocent citizens,” said Acting U.S. Estes. “Thanks to the diligent, patient, and thorough work of our law enforcement partners, our communities are now safer with these men behind bars.”  

As described in the evidence presented to the jury, Wisher was previously convicted of a series of violent armed robberies in New York.  He then came to Savannah, began a relationship with a juvenile, and, during an argument on July 10, 2019, he fired a pistol into the bed she was in.  Days later, Wisher struck his roommate in the head and stole a firearm. Wisher then gave that stolen firearm to Samuel Renardo Chisholm, a/k/a “Chilly Willy,” a/k/a “Pooh,” 29, of Savannah, also a convicted felon.  On July 25, 2019, Wisher and Chisholm carjacked at gunpoint a mother visiting Savannah, stealing her Ford Escape. 

Wisher and Chisholm drove the stolen Escape to Ware County the next day, where Wisher attempted to rob a preschool teacher as she walked into the TJ Maxx store in Waycross, Georgia, to shop. Chisholm drove Wisher away from the attempted robbery. Chisholm then stole another vehicle before crashing it; he then attempted to carjack an elderly couple in Ware County before being apprehended by law enforcement.

U.S. Marshals arrested Wisher in Savannah on July 29, 2019, after finding him standing near the stolen Ford Escape.

Chisholm previously pled guilty to using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during the attempted carjacking in Ware County and conspiring with Wisher to use and carry a firearm during the Savannah carjacking and attempted robbery outside of the TJ Maxx in Waycross. Chisholm faces up to life in prison and awaits sentencing related to the crime spree.

“Without the partnerships with our local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, this crime spree would not have ended when it did, and many more innocent citizens could have been terrorized,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully, that team effort will result in a sentence that will ease the trauma to those who were victimized.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Savannah Police Department, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, and the Waycross Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.