A southeast Georgia judge has thrown out the felony indictment against former Glynn County prosecutor Jackie Johnson, acquitting her of trial on charges that she misused her powers to shield the men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery in 2020.
Johnson, who was the county’s elected D.A. when Arbery was shot to death, was indicted on one count of violating an oath of office and one count of obstruction. The charges alleged that she interfered with the police investigation of Arbery’s death, namely by mishandling the case by diverting it to a neighboring D.A. who had already determined the case was self-defense under the citizen’s arrest statute, which has since been repealed.
The indictment also accused Johnson of verbally telling police officers on the scene of the crime not to make an arrest that day.
The case against Johnson drew national attention and was delayed by several years. The Brunswick News attributes that delay to the fact Johnson’s indictment came down in 2021 and the case against Arbery’s killers was still pending at that point. Also, her lead defense attorney Brian Steele was representing Jeffrey Williams, known as “Young Thug,” in one of the longest criminal trials in state history. As soon as that trial ended late last year, a scheduling order was issued setting Johnson’s trial for January.
On Monday, the prosecution’s case was dealt a blow when Senior Judge John Turner directed a verdict acquitting Johnson on the obstruction charge citing a lack of evidence. On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Turner threw out the remaining charge of violating oath of office, saying that even if Johnson admitted to everything in the indictment, it still would not constitute a crime.
The Attorney General’s Office, which prosecuted the case, said they felt their charges and case were strong. Johnson’s camp said they were relieved by the verdict and that she followed the rules and did not break the law.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
