False accusation against officer gets woman three years in jail
By Malaika Fraley/MediaNews Group
Posted: 02/23/2010 01:02:21 AM PST
MARTINEZ -- A drunken driver has been slapped with an exceptionally stiff jail sentence after she lied about being molested by a Pittsburg police officer during her 2009 arrest.
While convictions in misdemeanor cases typically don't result in more than a year of jail time, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Theresa Canepa on Friday sentenced 37-year-old Pittsburg resident Erika Johnson to three consecutive years in county jail.
"She got what's unheard of in misdemeanor land," prosecutor Karen Holder said.
According to testimony, Pittsburg Police Officer Donald Pearman pulled Johnson over for a vehicle registration violation on Feb. 8, 2009, and arrested her for driving with a .26 blood alcohol level -- more than three times the legal limit -- and trace amounts of cocaine in her system. It was the third DUI for Johnson, a mother of three with prior convictions for welfare fraud and forgery.
Pearman turned on an audio recorder within the first five minutes of the traffic stop as Johnson embarked on a vicious tirade that continued to be recorded on video at the police station.
The recordings played for the jury showed that Pearman asked Johnson to calm or sit down 49 times, but never swore or raised his voice, Holder said. Johnson repeatedly called him a pedophile and child rapist, threatened to kill him and said there was a bounty on his head, and also went on an obscenity-laced tirade that included the use of one particular word 190 times.
Johnson returned to the station the next day and claimed that sometime during the two-mile ride to the police station, Pearman stopped at a secluded area, fondled her breast and punched her in the face, according to Holder. Johnson said she responded by spitting in his face.
The jury deliberated for about an hour Feb. 1 before finding Johnson guilty of drunken driving with a suspended license, making a false criminal complaint and obstructing police.
By Malaika Fraley/MediaNews Group
Posted: 02/23/2010 01:02:21 AM PST
MARTINEZ -- A drunken driver has been slapped with an exceptionally stiff jail sentence after she lied about being molested by a Pittsburg police officer during her 2009 arrest.
While convictions in misdemeanor cases typically don't result in more than a year of jail time, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Theresa Canepa on Friday sentenced 37-year-old Pittsburg resident Erika Johnson to three consecutive years in county jail.
"She got what's unheard of in misdemeanor land," prosecutor Karen Holder said.
According to testimony, Pittsburg Police Officer Donald Pearman pulled Johnson over for a vehicle registration violation on Feb. 8, 2009, and arrested her for driving with a .26 blood alcohol level -- more than three times the legal limit -- and trace amounts of cocaine in her system. It was the third DUI for Johnson, a mother of three with prior convictions for welfare fraud and forgery.
Pearman turned on an audio recorder within the first five minutes of the traffic stop as Johnson embarked on a vicious tirade that continued to be recorded on video at the police station.
The recordings played for the jury showed that Pearman asked Johnson to calm or sit down 49 times, but never swore or raised his voice, Holder said. Johnson repeatedly called him a pedophile and child rapist, threatened to kill him and said there was a bounty on his head, and also went on an obscenity-laced tirade that included the use of one particular word 190 times.
Johnson returned to the station the next day and claimed that sometime during the two-mile ride to the police station, Pearman stopped at a secluded area, fondled her breast and punched her in the face, according to Holder. Johnson said she responded by spitting in his face.
The jury deliberated for about an hour Feb. 1 before finding Johnson guilty of drunken driving with a suspended license, making a false criminal complaint and obstructing police.
