A former Georgia district attorney was charged for allegedly mishandling the Ahmaud Arbery murder case and was booked into jail.
Jackie Johnson, 49, a former Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney, was booked into Glynn County jail on Wednesday after she turned herself in, according to authorities. Jail records show Johnson was released the same day and did not have to pay a cash bond, the Associated Press reported.
The former attorney is accused of discouraging police from making arrests in connection with Arbery’s death.
Johnson, who had been the community’s top prosecutor at the time of the Arbery murder in 2020, was indicted by a grand jury last week. She faces a felony charge of violating her oath of office and a misdemeanor count of obstructing police work.
Johnson is being prosecuted by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office. She has denied any wrongdoing and said she recused her office from the case because one of the men now convicted in the murder of Arbery, Greg McMichael, had been an employee, according to CBS News.
A jury on Wednesday convicted Greg and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan in the death of Arbery, a 25-year-old black man gunned down while jogging through the three white men’s Satilla Shores neighborhood near the port city of Brunswick in February 2020.
A nine-count indictment charged all three men with one count of malice murder, four counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment, and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony.
Travis McMichael was convicted of all nine charges. His father was convicted of all but malice murder. Bryan was convicted of two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment, and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony.
The murder convictions carry a minimum sentence of life in prison. During a sentencing hearing, which hasn’t been set, the judge will decide if the men will get a shot at parole. The three Georgia men found guilty of murdering Arbery are likely to appeal their convictions but could see even more jail time once they are tried in federal court.
NEW MUG SHOT: Former Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson, 49, has been arrested and booked for violation of oath and obstruction in the Ahmaud Arbery murder case. She was indicted by a grand jury last week. @cbs46 pic.twitter.com/Aatu2WSVAI
— Hayley Mason (@HayleyMasonTV) September 8, 2021
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President Joe Biden released a statement after the verdict.
“Ahmaud Arbery’s killing — witnessed by the world on video — is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country,” Biden said, adding that the verdict rendered “ensures that those who committed this horrible crime will be punished.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Glynn County jail for a comment.
