Law Enforcement: Belated Justice for Kathryn Johnston as Judge Sentences Atlanta Narcs Who Killed Her to Prison
A federal judge in Atlanta Tuesday sent three former Atlanta narcotics officers to prison for their roles in a misbegotten drug raid that ended in the death of a 92-year-old woman and shone a disturbing light on police practices in the Atlanta police drug squad. The victim, Kathryn Johnston, was killed when the three officers fired 39 rounds at her after she fired one shot at them as they were breaking down her door on a bogus drug raid.
[inline:kathrynjohnston.jpg align=right caption="Kathryn Johnston"]US District Court Judge Julie Carnes sentenced former officer Arthur Tesler to five years in prison, Gregg Junnier to six years, and Jason Smith to 10 years. All three sentences were less than those called for by federal sentencing guidelines.
Johnston was killed about 7 p.m. on November 21, 2006. Three hours earlier, Tesler arrested and roughed-up a small-time drug dealer named Fabian Sheats and threatened to send him to prison unless he gave up another drug dealer. Sheats eventually pointed out Johnston's home, apparently at random, telling Tesler and his partners he saw a dealer named "Sam" with a kilo of cocaine there.
The three officers wanted to make a buy, but didn't consider Sheats reliable, so they called an informant named Alex White to come make the buy. But White was unavailable, so the trio simply wrote a false affidavit saying they had watched White make a cocaine buy at Johnston's home. Shortly before 6:00 p.m., they had their no-knock search warrant. An hour later, Johnston was dead after firing upon the intruders she apparently thought were robbers.
Then the cover-up kicked in, with the trio creating more false documents to hide the truth. But their cover-up fell apart when their informant, Alex White, grew frightened and went to the FBI.
In her sentencing statement, Judge Carnes criticized the Atlanta Police Department for its performance quotas for search warrants and arrests, saying the "pressures brought to bear did have an impact on these and other officers on the force." If anything good came from Johnston's death, it will be "a renewed effort by the Atlanta Police Department to prevent something like this from ever happening again," Carnes said. "It is my fervent hope the APD will take to heart what has happened here," the judge said.
Comments
Justice?
After shooting the lady, they handcuffed her, left her laying in her bedroom, bleeding to death, went downstairs, planted some dope and arranged a cover-up. I think the sentences were way too light for murder! Anyone, else, would have gotten much longer sentences! Dealing pot will get you longer than some of those sentences!
In reply to Justice? by mlang52 (not verified)
justice my ass!
they should be doing life .when you take an oath you should get hammered if you commit a crime.if that was any regular citizen you would get life.
prohibition
I keep saying it. They aren't waging war on drugs.....they're waging war on the American people. If we ever agree on that we can make it stop.
In reply to prohibition by Anonymous (not verified)
I completely agree.
The best thing that I've learned in college so far from one of my criminal justice teachers applys greatly to this.
"The war on drugs is a load of crap. The DARE (war on drugs) program did nothing but teach kids how to use drugs and what to use for how you feel. The only reason it's kept around is to keep the police force immersed in the public...how would you feel if you were told all your tax dollars failed."
All of this happens from the false information given to the public about a failed program. They are to good to admit that they are wrong and just keep feeding the monster.
ekleimeyer
Double standards
These officers represent the lowest, most dispicable level of American society. They trusted a criminal narc, were too lazy to gather evidence, lied to a Judge for a false warrant, raided the wrong house and pumped THIRTY NINE rounds into an innocent citizen who tried to (legally) defend their home.
Apparently the Atlanta police department doesn't screen for integrity when hiring. Too bad. I hope these three are sentanced for life, considering they stole the life of someone else.
Prison justice
Don't worry about the 'sentences on paper", when they get to prison, justice will be served.
Just goes to show.
The justice system in Amerika is as corrupt as the cops in Amerika, in fact, they're conspirators, surprise.
Why were they given lighter sentences than federal guidelines? Because that judge is incompetent. Why wasn't the judge that signed the warrant jailed too. He conspired to murder, just as the sentencing judge did. What a sham, this is pathetic. Amerika has become a third world nation. Congratulations.
There is no justice in Amerika. Iraq had a more advanced government than we do, ours is the worst in the world, our government is a sick joke played for too long. It's time to put a stop to it. Remember your right to bear arms? it's time to exercise that right and take back Amerika from the Hitleresk corruption that drove us into the gutter.
What a joke. F*ck Amerika.
L.E.A.P. We Respectfully Request removal of fraudulent leaders
To whom it may concern at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. We the citizens and residents of America and all planet earth respectfully request that you team up with other Constitutional practitioners;possibly from the military/militaries of planet earth and actually arrest the unconstitutional war monger/prohibitionist law enforcers which fraudulently occupy everyones land. We also hope you will remove the ability for them to use wall street insider trading as bribery and intimidation to prop up these fraudulent plunder based regimes . Thank You for your service,dedication,and respect for our constitutional rights. We are thankful you are here.
please send post above to l.e.a.p. everywhere.
all the time.
wow
now that the corporate hostile take over of america is complete the ethnic and political cleansing has begun. wake up you people you are nothing but veal waiting to be slaughtered with your eyes sewn shut by the boob tube and its talking heads. run for the hills!
re wow
then same goes for you captain Theres more military people from America and all other countries that are going to destroy the D.E.A.,U.N.D.C.P.,and their wall st cronies than there are D.E.A.,U.N.D.C.P.,Wall st.cronies fraudulent occupation of earth.
talking heads
about to roll
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