A former prosecutor was indicted Thursday on charges of obstructing a police officer in the Georgia investigation of the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery. Jackie Johnson, who was Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney at the time, also is charged with violating her oath of office, CNBC reports. One of the men charged with murder in the slaying, Greg McMichael, had worked as an investigator for Johnson. The indictment said she showed "favor and affection" to him and improperly blocked the arrest of his son, Travis, in the case. Arbery, a Black man, was shot in February 2020 near Brunswick after being chased by three white men in vehicles. It was months before anyone was arrested in the case.
The indictment says Johnson also failed to "treat Ahmaud Arbery and his family fairly and with dignity." Conviction on the charge of violating a public officer's oath carries a sentence of 1 to 5 years in prison. Two county officials had accused Johnson's office of blocking the arrests of McMichael and his son soon after the killing, which Johnson denied, per WSB. The third man charged is William "Roddie" Bryan. All three have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled for trial this fall. Johnson was defeated for reelection last fall and blamed the fallout from the Arbery case for the loss, per USA Today. She had no immediate comment on her indictment Thursday. (More Ahmaud Arbery stories.)
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