A Nashville man who posted threats against law enforcement on his social media account faces prison time.
Robert Ellis Waddey, 22, pled guilty in Federal Court on Friday to communicating a threat by interstate commerce.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates first reported that Waddey posted a photograph on Instagram which caught the attention of Metro police in 2015.
It showed a handgun pointed at a Tennessee State Trooper's car with the caption "Gona die looking at his computer."
"The evidence is clear that this was a threat, and it was intended as a threat, and the defendant pleading guilty has admitted as much," said Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith.
Investigators found other evidence of Waddey making threats toward law enforcement.
Court records reveal after Waddey was arrested on a domestic violence warrant in 2013 he claimed "police got a jump on him this time... but police will be ineffective after he snorts cocaine."
Federal investigators got a search warrant and seized more than a dozen guns from Waddey's Crieve Hall home last year.
The search revealed disturbing pictures on Waddey's phone.
One showed a uniformed officer bleeding from the head captioned "only a dead cop is a good cop."
They found pictures of him with an assault riffle with the text "Police won't even know what to think lolol."
In one text Waddey discussed getting high and his desire to go "murder" cops according to the indictment.
Waddey admitted during the plea hearing that his subjective intent in making the communications was to threaten law enforcement according to prosecutors.
"This is someone who had a real hatred of law enforcement, and repeatedly made statements about doing harm to law enforcement," said Acting U.S. Attorney Smith.
He said in the current environment in which police officers across the country have been attacked, his office has zero tolerance for threats against law enforcement.
"When you see threats like this to law enforcement you cannot be complacent, we cannot allow things like that to go uninvestigated," Smith said.
Waddey was also charged with using marijuana while being in possession of a firearm.
The evidence came from his own pictures.
But that charge will be dropped at sentencing.
Waddy faces up to five years in federal prison.
He will also be tagged with a felony which will prohibit him from owning a gun.
His sentencing is set for October.
