Opposing attorneys had raised flags about former Brunswick DA Jackie Johnson

3 years ago 293

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Former Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson got planetary attraction past twelvemonth aft she failed to bring charges successful the aboriginal days of the probe of the shooting decease of Ahmaud Arbery. Although voted retired of bureau past November, a Glynn County expansive assemblage connected Thursday indicted her connected 2 charges connected to the deficiency of prosecution successful that case.

Johnson became territory lawyer successful 2010 erstwhile then-Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed her. She would aboriginal triumph the bureau successful an election.

Until she lost her re-election bid past year, she was the apical authoritative for Brunswick Judicial Circuit, which includes Camden, Glynn, Appling, Jeff Davis and Wayne counties. During her decennary successful that job, she was successful complaint of respective high-profile cases which included immoderate different arguable ones.

Cell telephone video showing Arbery’s shooting decease caused outrage; coming retired 2 months aft Glynn County constabulary and then-District Attorney Jackie Johnson decided to not complaint the 3 men who chased him down.

Arbery was killed Feb. 23, 2020, aft a achromatic begetter and son, Greg and Travis McMichael, equipped themselves and pursued the 25-year-Black antheral successful a pickup motortruck aft spotting him moving successful their vicinity extracurricular the coastal metropolis of Brunswick, astir 70 miles southbound of Savannah.

A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan joined the pursuit and took cellphone video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery astatine adjacent scope with a shotgun. The McMichaels said they believed Arbery was a burglar and that helium was changeable aft attacking Travis McMichael.

Police did not complaint immoderate of them instantly pursuing the shooting, and the McMichaels and Bryan remained escaped for much than 2 months until the cellphone video of the shooting was leaked online and Gov. Brian Kemp asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to instrumentality implicit the case.

Her archetypal handling of the Arbery cases, earlier different prosecutors were assigned to the job, enactment other cases she worked nether the microscope.

Dashcam video from 2010 shows 2 Glynn County constabulary officers shooting and sidesplitting Caroline Small aft she led them connected a chase. Cops had her car pinned and she was unarmed erstwhile they fired.

Caroline Small (Special to WJXT)

Johnson presented the officer-involved shooting to a expansive jury. But defence lawyer Bill Atkins, who represented Small’s household successful a civilian suit, told the I-TEAM she made respective missteps:

Johnson provided the officer’s defence attorneys with grounds earlier she presented it to a expansive jury.
Johnson went earlier the expansive assemblage without presenting an indictment.
Johnson allowed defence attorneys to enactment successful the expansive assemblage proceeding by asking questions.

“She violated that -- plainly, unequivocally and determination was nary effect different than the information that 2 men went free,” Atkins told the I-TEAM successful 2020.

Sgt. Robert “Cory” Sasser and Officer Todd Simpson were cleared of transgression wrongdoing by the expansive assemblage successful a divided decision, portion an interior constabulary probe besides recovered nary wrongdoing. At the time, the constabulary main said Sasser and Simpson acted reasonably and wrong section argumentation successful the situation, which they perceived arsenic life-threatening and endangering nationalist safety.

When asked whether helium feels similar the 2 officers should person faced charges, Atkins said, “Absolutely. I don’t deliberation determination is immoderate uncertainty astir it.”

He went connected to say: “The full happening was 1 of the worst abuses of authorization and efforts to protect, and frankly, screen up constabulary misconduct to maine that I’ve ever seen. It’s singular to maine that pistillate inactive has her job.”

The I-TEAM recovered Sasser was promoted months aft the Small shooting.

Fast-forward to 2018 erstwhile Sasser was arrested connected charges of misdemeanor elemental artillery and transgression trespass portion divorcing his wife, Katie Kettles-Sasser. She said helium tried to footwear down her doorway and threatened to termination her and her friend, Johnny Edward Hall Jr., connected May 13. That nighttime was captured connected constabulary assemblage camera footage.

Sasser, who was a lieutenant with the Glynn County Police Department astatine the time, was released connected enslaved aft that incident.

The Police Department suspended Sasser connected May 15, 2018.

Two days later, Sasser was arrested aft a standoff successful the woods with police. He was charged with possession of a gun, which was against the presumption of his release.

Following an interior investigation, the Police Department fired Sasser connected May 24, 2018.

After the 2nd arrest, Sasser was Baker Acted and ordered to person nary interaction with his wife, springiness up his guns and not person immoderate different firearms. Additionally, helium was ordered to unrecorded with his sister successful Alabama, question attraction for post-traumatic accent upset and study to a backstage enslaved bureau each 30 days.

When it came to his enslaved hearing, Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson “recused herself from the case” and assigned her Assistant District Attorney John Johnson to the case.

In precocious June 2018, according to the GBI, Sasser, 41, killed Kettles-Sasser, 34, Hall, 39, and himself.

Another lawyer who questioned Johnson’s ineligible practices was the district’s erstwhile main nationalist defender Kevin Gough, who said determination were violations agelong earlier the Arbery case. He said the ineligible strategy crossed the authorities needs to beryllium looked astatine closely.

“What astir the 1000s of different radical who person been tally done the transgression justness system, and the tens of thousands crossed the state?” helium questioned. “What’s being done to marque definite that these kinds of problems don’t happen, don’t hap again.”

“I person nary uncertainty that defendants did not get a just trial, I person nary uncertainty that radical that were guiltless nether the law, went to jail. And you know, the bittersweet happening is trying to fig retired who they are is difficult.

The 2 sparred often successful court. Gough was the court-appointed defence successful the 2013 lawsuit wherever 2 teens killed 13-month-old Antonio Santiago, portion his parent was pushing him successful a stroller.

Gough said Johnson’s indictment shows his complaints for years – had merit – particularly since the erstwhile constabulary main was besides indicted successful a consequent corruption case.

“I deliberation that’s a beauteous damning indictment of the mode instrumentality enforcement has been operating successful Glynn County for immoderate time. So you know, it’s troubling, and I’m definite the assemblage is troubled by it.”

Brunswick lawyer Alan Tucker, who released the Arbery footage to a section vigor station, told News4Jax helium had nary remark astir the indictment.

Johnson blamed the contention implicit Arbery’s decease for her predetermination decision past year. Independent campaigner Keith Higgins collected thousands of signatures to get connected the ballot – and won – he’s present the territory attorney.

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