Prosecutors drop domestic violence charge against Marion County Sheriff's deputy
A Marion County sheriff's corporal who was arrested and accused of domestic violence in March won't be prosecuted any further. The State Attorney's Office dropped the charge on Friday.
According to a court filing, the victim had met with prosecutors and agreed to participate in the battery case against Cpl. Roy Allen Johnson. Trial was set for May 23.
But on May 16, the victim told prosecutors that she did not want to testify at trial, after all. A prosecutor tried calling the woman to talk about her decision, but was unsuccessful.
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On May 18, according to the State Attorney's Office, the woman emailed to say she doesn't want to prosecute. She asked that prosecutors stop calling her.
A Sheriff's Office supervisor tried contacting the victim but wasn't able to reach her, according to the court filing.
There were no other witnesses in the case. Prosecutors said that with the woman declining to testify, they would not be able to prove a crime.
"I'm glad this case is closed and now he can move on," said Johnson's lawyer, Jimmie Sparrow.
The arrest happened days after a domestic incident in March
At issue was a confrontation in March when Johnson reportedly threw the victim against a glass object, which broke. The woman told responding deputies that her hand was injured and bleeding because she tried to brace herself, according to the arrest report.
The two apparently had been arguing the day before the March 4 incident.
There was no immediate arrest. The woman was interviewed by sheriff's officials several days later and an arrest warrant was then issued for Johnson's arrest. He was taken into custody on March 10.
The same report notes that the woman told deputies about a previous domestic battery case that was never prosecuted because she wanted it dropped.
Johnson was suspended without pay and an internal affairs investigation was ordered. On Friday, Sheriff's Office officials said Johnson remains suspended without pay.
The deputy has been with the agency for 18 years. At the time of suspension, he was working in the Juvenile Division.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Prosecutors in Ocala, Florida drop domestic battery case against deputy
