Former Officer Convicted of Criminally Negligent Homicide

Texas & Nationwide Personal Injury News

A.G. King Announces Jail Sentence for White Hall Former Officer Convicted of Criminally Negligent Homicide

Montgomery, Alabama -- Attorney General Troy King announced that former White Hall police officer Jessie James Johnson today received the maximum sentence of one year for criminally negligent homicide of a woman killed while he was traveling in excess of a hundred miles an hour without using a siren or blue warning lights. James was ordered to report to serve 45 days in the Lowndes County Jail, beginning on Friday, followed by two years of probation. The remainder of the sentence was suspended and he was ordered to pay full restitution to his victim's family for the expenses of her funeral.

On March 27, Johnson was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide by a jury in Lowndes County Circuit Court. This is the second time that Johnson has been convicted for homicide in Alabama, according to court documents. Johnson has a lengthy history of criminal charges and convictions, beginning in 1972 with a charge of assault with intent to murder, followed in 1977 by a conviction for homicide manslaughter—both in Dallas County. Johnson's record reflects at least 14 guilty pleas to speeding, three for improper lane changes, one for driving on the wrong side of the road, four for driving a commercial vehicle without proper documents, one for operating an unsafe commercial vehicle, one for improper equipment, one for an overweight truck, another for unspecified moving and traffic violation, three for failure to appear in court, one for driving with a suspended license, and various others. Records indicate that Johnson's drivers' license has been suspended at least six times.

For the rest of this article please visit www.ago.state.al.us.