Baton Rouge Drug Court Judge Donald Johnson
Police say judge fled after late-night crash

This Judge seems to be made of teflon. Here are excepts from the newspaper report (The Advocate):
Police ticketed state District Judge Don Johnson on Thursday afternoon, saying he crashed an SUV into a utility pole, then fled the scene late Wednesday night.

Johnson, 49, is accused of losing control of a black 1994 Jeep Cherokee while heading south on Foster Drive about 11 P.M. Wednesday, Baton Rouge police spokesman Cpl. Don Kelly said.

The vehicle crossed two lanes of College Drive before smashing head-on into the pole. No other vehicles were involved in the wreck.

According to a witness, Johnson smelled strongly of beer, Kelly said, but added that whether alcohol played a role in the crash is impossible to know. Police did not meet with Johnson until 3 P.M. Thursday, far too late to give a breath test, he said.

"Witness statements are not sufficient to determine whether he was intoxicated, " Kelly said.

Johnson was cited for misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run, failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle and driving without proof of insurance. His court date was scheduled for July 1.

In March Johnson was arrested for first-offense DWI, but a Baton Rouge City Court judge acquitted him later that year.

In Wednesday's wreck, Kelly said, Johnson is accused of getting out of the SUV after smashing into the pole, inspecting the damage and then driving to the driveway of an adjacent house.

While bleeding from the mouth, he identified himself to a passing driver and asked for a ride to a nearby Ruby Tuesday restaurant, Kelly said.

Johnson was gone by the time officers arrived, Kelly said.inside the vehicle, they found Johnson's wallet, brief case and judge's robes.

Police could not find Johnson at the restaurant or by calling local emergency rooms, Kelly said. He did not know whether officers tried to find him at his home.

They did not hear from Johnson until Thursday morning, Kelly said, when he called to find out how to get the car back.

The parties arranged to meet at Johnson's home at 3 P.M., where he was cited.

The lawyer who represented Johnson in his DWI case, Glynn Delatte, said Johnson lost control Wednesday while avoiding a dog in the road.

After getting the ride to the restaurant, Johnson called a friend who owns a trailer, Delatte said, and when the two returned to the scene, the SUV was gone. Delatte said Johnson called police before sunrise to report the accident, but was told to call back after 8 A.M.

He rejected the witness' claim that Johnson smelled of beer.

"How do you know it was beer?" Delatte said. "Does beer have a particular smell? How do you know it wasn't shaving cream or alcohol?"

In the 2001 DWI trial, Delatte called a consultant with Forensic Associates of Minneapolis to testify that the results of a breath test the night of the accident were flawed. Johnson's blood-alcohol level registered. 107 after slamming into a pole at the split between Interstates 10 and 12. The legal limit is. 1.

The witness at the trial said the results were compromised for several reasons: The powder from Johnson's airbag may have interfered, police did not calibrate their breath-test machine often enough, and an officer was seen on videotape talking into the radio on his shoulder while the test was issued, a practice that is known to compromise the test.

City Court Judge Trudy White threw out the breath-test results, citing the expert testimony.

Even though Delatte joined Johnson during his meeting with police Thursday afternoon, Johnson will represent himself in traffic court, he said.

Attempts to reach Johnson for comment were unsuccessful.

Company: Baton Rouge Drug Court Judge Donald Johnson
Country: USA
State: Louisiana
City: Baton Rouge
Address: East Baton Rouge Parish 222 St. Louis Street Suite 709

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