Prosecutors want UT rape suspect’s bond revoked
Prosecutors have moved to revoke the bond of former University of Tennessee linebacker A.J. Johnson, who’s awaiting trial on rape charges, after his weekend DUI arrest.
“The defendant’s refusal to obey the laws of this state … make him a continuing threat to the community,” Knox County Deputy District Attorney General Kyle Hixson wrote in a motion filed Monday afternoon.
Johnson and his former teammate Michael Williams have been free on bond for more than two years since their indictment on charges of raping a woman during a November 2014 party at Johnson’s South Knoxville apartment after a football win. That case remains on hold pending a decision by the Tennessee Supreme Court on whether to hear an appeal on arguments about the accuser’s social media history.
SATURDAY’S DUI ARREST
Johnson’s latest arrest happened when Knoxville Police Department Officer Mark Fortner said he spotted the ex-player’s 2007 Chevy Tahoe stopped at a red light at Kingston Pike and Neyland Drive for two full light cycles Saturday around 1:30 a.m.
Fortner said he approached the vehicle to check on the driver when the vehicle rolled forward and struck a sign.
The officer said Johnson had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol and had a “marijuana cigarette” sitting in plain sight inside the vehicle.
Johnson admitted to smoking marijuana and to drinking earlier in the day, police said.
Officers performed a field sobriety test and arrested Johnson on charges of driving under the influence, failure to exercise due care while driving and violation of implied consent. He was also cited on a charge of simple drug possession.
Johnson was released on bond around noon Saturday. His lawyer, Stephen Ross Johnson, didn’t immediately return a call Monday afternoon.
A LONG LEGAL PATH
Johnson and Williams face two counts each of aggravated rape and of aiding and abetting rape. They deny any assault and insist any sex that happened was consensual.
The ex-players’ attorneys have sought access to the woman’s social media history, saying such digital clues as private messages and other details could shed light on her credibility. KPD investigators didn’t collect that information, and prosecutors have tried to block defense attorneys from seeking it via subpoenas. The woman has said her phone malfunctioned.
The alleged victim of Johnson and Williams and seven other women later obtained a $2.48 million settlement from UT after a federal lawsuit over the university’s handling of sexual assault cases. The university admitted no wrongdoing.
No hearing on the motion to revoke Johnson’s bond had been set Monday. He could appear in General Sessions Court on the DUI charge later this month.