September 29, 2014

Chief of Police Sentenced for Color of Law Violation

OXFORD, MS—Felicia C. Adams, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, and Johnnie Sharp, Acting, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced today that Jimmie Johnson, age 31, former Tutwiler, Mississippi, Police Officer and former Chief of Police of Webb, Mississippi, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock to serve twenty (20) months in prison, followed by two (2) years of supervised release, after pleading guilty of violating a federal civil rights statute. Johnson was also ordered to complete fifty (50) hours of community service. In addition, Johnson agreed to never seek future employment in law enforcement.

Johnson was indicted on October 31, 2013, for an incident which occurred in February of 2012, while he was employed as a captain with the Tutwiler, Mississippi, Police Department. On March 25, 2014, Johnson pled guilty to Count One of the indictment, which stated that while acting under color of law, Johnson assaulted an individual by striking him in the face with his fist, causing bodily injury, and thereby willfully depriving that individual of the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242.

U.S. Attorney Felicia C. Adams stated, “Johnson’s actions were reprehensible. He abused his authority, violated the law and the public trust. Today’s sentence demonstrates that such actions undermine the rule of law and will not be tolerated. While the majority of law enforcement officers are hardworking professionals who risk their lives daily for our safety, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those officers who break the law and violate the public trust.” A/SAC Sharp stated: “Every citizen has the right to expect law enforcement officers to act in accordance with the laws they have sworn to uphold. We entrust law enforcement officers with certain powers and authority, which they are expected to wield with the utmost integrity. This case proves that abuse of that power and authority will not be tolerated.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.