Harris County Judge Kelli Johnson, whose sudden absence of several weeks from the bench caused concern and confusion, was stopped when officers suspected her of drunk driving during a high-profile murder trial.
New recordings from that night show how the judge pleaded with the officers and told them that “I could lose my entire career.”
The April 12 stop — during the murder trial and before her disappearance — occurred after officers observed her driving recklessly, including driving on the wrong side of the road, eating, looking at her phone, speeding and making a change. of unsafe lane, according to body camera footage from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office obtained by ABC13.
Part of the audio from the 8pm parade could not be heard. But, the report noted, it became clear when Johnson said “I am a judge” during the stop.
In the footage, officers can be heard discussing how they believe they can drink, and the officer appears to mention her position in hopes of avoiding punishment, according to ABC13.
A second officer arrived and they decided to subject the judge to a field sobriety test.
“If I take this test and you think I don’t do well, I’ll lose my career and all that,” the judge asked Representative Sandy Mace. “I mean, can you call a witness? Can we call Ben Katrib? I’ll call Sidney Miller. Sheriff (Ed) Gonzalez. This is a big deal for me.”
A supervising officer, Sergeant Collin McHugh, then intervenes.
“Everything we do is recorded on that camera. This body camera. Everything here. We’re not going to call Lieutenant Katrib and we’re not going to call Sheriff Gonzalez. This is an impaired driver investigation,” says McHugh.
“I could lose my entire career,” Johnson repeats.
“And here’s the thing, your honor, I could lose my entire career if I let you use your judgeship to do this,” McHugh says.
“I’m not using a position,” Johnson responds.
The judge also claimed that she had not been drinking, but rather a long week after attending the trial of Brian Coulter, a man found guilty of beating his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son to death in 2020.
Officers ultimately concluded that Johnson had not shown enough signs of impairment on a field sobriety test to warrant an arrest, and released her with a warning for driving 77 mph in a 65 mph zone.
“She’s probably drinking, but not to this level,” a deputy said in the footage.
The Independent contacted Johnson for comment.
Sheriff’s officials defended their actions.
“Deputies use discretion when issuing citations,” a sheriff’s department official told ABC13. “If there are not enough signs to indicate impairment, then an arrest would not be an appropriate action.”
The judge has already been in the news for making a decision sudden absence of several weeks of the 178th Criminal District Court.
Anonymous court officials described concerns about the judge’s mental well-being, describing her as manic and “a danger to herself and the community.”
Meanwhile, a Houston Police Department report described a visit to his home on May 4, citing “disturbance/CIT,” the latter an abbreviation for crisis intervention.
Clay Johnson, the judge’s brother, said speculation about his absence was unfounded.
“She’s not missing, she’s on sick leave,” he said. counted The Daily Beast. “She’s in touch with her family and everything is fine… and that’s all I can say.”
Johnson’s absence from court came weeks after presiding over Coulter’s trial.
“This is probably one of the most horrific facts I have ever had to witness, hear and imagine,” the judge said. he said during the trial.
