No good deed goes unpunished: the case of Eric Johnson

Some of you reading this may be familiar with the case of Heather Ellis--the Black woman in Missouri who was arrested after skipping lines in a Walmart and who faced up to 15 years in jail.  Well, if you're in the Atlanta area you don't have to look as far as Missouri to find a young Black person being wrongfully dragged through the so-called criminal justice system.

A young man named Eric Johnson was recently arrested for a crime he had no part in or knowledge of.  Eric recently graduated from Creekside High School as an honor student and member of the Beta Club. He has been working the past few months in order to help support his mother and had plans of attending Westwood College in January. Ever since his father died three years ago in a tragic house fire accident, Eric has faced adversity and has overcome numerous life obstacles to become a successful young man--at least until now.

The following statement of facts comes directly from attorney Mawuli Davis, and Pastor Derrick Rice of Sankofa United Church of Christ in Atlanta:

STATEMENT OF FACTS
 

• On Monday night, August 17, 2009, Antoine Wimes and Donavon McCoy are alleged to have shot “Nikki” Neely and seriously injured her 10-month-old baby in a vicious and senseless home invasion. On August 18, 2009, after seeing the news reports of this horrific attack, Eric A. Johnson called 911 and reported to police that he had “given a ride” to the suspects earlier in the evening. Eric gave a statement to Officer Byars of the Fulton County Police Department. Eric told Officer Byars that he was asked by Antoine Wimes to give him a ride in exchange for “gas money.” Eric told Officer Byars that he picked up Antoine Wimes and another young man that he met for the first time named “Dino.” He drove them to a gas station, brought gas and then took them further down South Fulton Parkway and dropped them off. The police have obtained and reviewed the gas station video that confirms Eric was at the gas station at 5:45 p.m. Additionally, in the initial statement to police, Donavan McCoy stated that they he and Antoine Wimes were “dropped off.” Additionally, an independent witness, Virginia Bonylan, reported to police that she saw Antoine Wimes and Donavan McCoy in the area at 7:30 p.m. She did not see or identify Eric Johnson as being with Antoine Wimes or Donavan McCoy. Also, during the bond hearing Ms. Bonylan testified that Antoine Wimes and Donvan McCoy were coming out of the driveway of Johnny Jones driveway when she saw them. Ms. Bonylan saw these two men again later in the evening at 10:30 p.m. and gave them a ride. Police were dispatched for the shooting at 8:40 p.m. We have alibi witnesses that Eric Johnson was home well before dark on August 17, 2009.

• On August 17, 2009 the sun set at 8:22 P.M. Eric told Officer Byars that he knew Antoine Wimes from previously living in the same subdivision. Officer Byars informed Eric and his mother, Loleta Horton, that Chattahoochee Hills Police would be contacting him. Apparently, when Eric Johnson was contacted by Chattahoochee Hills Police, the aggressive manner in which Detectives spoke with his mother made her uncomfortable with allowing her son to speak to them without an attorney present. On Thursday, August 27, 2009, Eric was arrested at his home in Union City. During the Bond Hearing the lead detective, Jamie Melton, admitted that he had no evidence that Eric A. Johnson was present at the time of the shooting or knew that Antoine Wimes and Donovan McCoy intended on committing any crime. Additionally, the Detective testified under oath that if Eric A. Johnson would have “talked” to him he would not have obtained arrest warrants.

• Without any evidence and with a story that makes no sense, on September 1, 2009, Eric Johnson was indicted along with Antoine Wimes and Donavon McCoy. Eric Johnson is charged with multiple felonies including: 2 counts of Aggravated Battery, Armed Robbery, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and Cruelty to Children. On September 9th, after hearing evidence on an Emergency Motion for Bond, Judge Goger granted a total bond of $50,000. As of today, Eric remains in jail unable to post a bond. Eric’s mother is unemployed and his father is deceased. Community, we need you! While the crime allegedly committed by Antoine Wimes and Donavon McCoy was heinous to say the very least and our prayer is that we see ‘justice flow like a river,’ Eric Johnson is innocent!

The video at the end of this article has some more info.  The video includes a police officer verifying the undisputed fact that Eric contacted the police in order to help solve the crime.  Now i'm not usually one to offer the police advice on how to do their job, but just this one time i'll offer my two cents: If you really want the community to help you stop crime, perhaps it's not such a good idea to arrest them after they help you.

I don't know... I'm just sayin'...

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The family is asking for support in their fight for Eric Johnson’s release.  Attorney Mawuli ‘Mel’ Davis, one of the top criminal defense attorneys in the state of Georgia, believes in Eric's innocence so strongly that he has offered his service for free.  Nevertheless, the family still needs $5,000.00 to post bond as well as to pay for transcripts that will be associated with the case.  If just 200 people donate $25, they can reach their goal!

Donations are being accepted online at www.justice4ericjohnson.com or the Sankofa UCC website, www.sankofaucc-atl.org.  If using the church website, go to their ‘On Line Giving’ page, fill in your name and email address, type in the ‘Message’ field; ‘FREE ERIC JOHNSON’ and finally click donate to make your donation.

According to Rev. Derrick Rice, Pastor of Sankofa United Church of Christ, "We want to make sure Eric is released from jail by Thanksgiving; he deserves to eat a Thanksgiving meal at home with his family as most of us will on Thursday.”

You can also stress your concerns by writing letters to the District Attorney of Fulton County Paul Howard at 136 Pryor Street Third Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30303-3477. Keep updated on current information regarding the case by logging on to www.justice4ericjohnson.com.