BRUNSWICK, Ga. — The judge overseeing the criminal trial of former Brunswick District Attorney Jackie Johnson has dismissed one of the two charges against her. The ruling, made Monday in a Glynn County courtroom, comes as Johnson faces accusations stemming from her actions after the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Feb. 2020.
Johnson was charged with hindering a police investigation and violating her oath of office. On Monday, the judge dismissed the charge related to hindering a police investigation. In that count, Johnson was accused of directing that Travis McMichael, one of the men involved in Arbery’s killing, should not be arrested.
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During Monday’s court proceedings, the judge stated, “One is denied and two is granted.”
The dismissed charge was part of a larger case related to the murder of Arbery, a young Black man from Brunswick who was chased and killed by three white men—one of whom, Gregory McMichael, was a longtime employee of Johnson.
In court, Johnson’s defense team argued that she was not legally required to disclose every action she took in the case.
“It says nothing about divulging everything that you did on the case, who you spoke with, and what was done. It’s not there,” Johnson’s attorney said.
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However, the prosecution countered that Johnson had made disclosures about the case, pointing to a recording where Johnson allegedly said, not once, but three times, that she had never called the Attorney General’s office.
“She actually said herself in the recording we played—not once, not twice, but three times—that she never called the Attorney General’s office,” the state prosecutor said.
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Despite these arguments, the judge determined that there was insufficient evidence to support the hindering charge and granted the defense’s motion to dismiss it.
The charge alleging Johnson violated her oath of office, a felony, remains part of the trial. Johnson’s legal team had also sought to have this charge dismissed, but the judge denied that motion.
“For the moment, I’m going to deny the motion for count one,” Judge.
Johnson, who has pleaded not guilty to both charges, will continue to face the charge of violating her oath of office. The trial is scheduled to resume Tuesday.
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