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Jury Deadlocked, Retrial Ordered On Arrest ChargeBy PAT QUIN ANews Tribune stall Writer Because the 3my could not reach a unanimous venjict, a second trial will be held in- St. Lucie County Circuit Court next week for Sammy l-Cp Johnson, 21, charged with resisting arrest '.villi violence, ,Tlie six-member all-white jury returned to the courtroom Tuesday afternoon alter throe hours of deliberation, and reported to Judge C. Pfeiffer Trowbridge thar it could not reach a unanimous verdict and was Hopelessly deadlocked. .JUDGE TROWBRIDGE thanked (he jury and rescheduled the trial fox' next week.Johnson, a tall slender Negro, was lt;arrested Juiy 23 by Officer Nathaniel Gibbs of the Fortpersonal car, drove up the street, parked his car across the street tram Johnson's, and called (o Johnson.“He got out of liis car and acted like he was crying,” Johnson said of the police officer, ‘He had a gun in his hand and he said that I hit the fence a • round his house with my car.“I SAID THAT I didn’t and asked him to come look at my car so he could see it hadn't ;hit anything. He called me a liar,” Johnson said,Johnson alleged that Gibbs grabbed him by (he eotar,” and said that Gibbs pointed a gun at his head.Johnson said he then moved Gibbs arm away and that Gibbs fired the weapon,I told him when he was lak-Pierce Police Dept., who said ing me to the hospital that jHint ho was questioning John son alwut a traffic violation when Johnson used abusive language and a skirmish ensued.GibbS. said that -Johnson at. tempted to get his gun and during the altercation, Johnson was shot in the groin. He was treated for his injuries at the hospital and later jailed on a charge of resisting arrest with violence S3.00D.Johnson testified, however/ that the shooting hart nothing ' to do with an alleged teaftic viola lion. He said that lie repeatedly asked Gibb5 why lie was being arrested and be said the officer would not explain.thought he shot mo over a girl and be told me to shut up or lie would blow my brains out.. The other man said, ‘Don’t do! that, You’ve already shot him once,11 Johnson testified,Johnson denied resisting arrest in any manner.Another wttncss for Johnson, Willie Smith Jr., said that ai the hospital Gibbs said that lie Hut bnnrl was set at didn’t mean to shoot Sam, Gibbs was crying and told Sam’s tvife he didn’t mean lo shoot him.An eyewitness lo the incident,I. W. Kelson, 1208 X. 23 St., tesli-f.ed that he “didn't know Sam John son, but said that Gibbs 1 caked to the boy and told him he hit his fence,Johnson- told the jury that he stopped at a home on K, 23rd Street and that Gibbs, dressed in plain clothes and driving his)lville Trial Jfi March 1972 On Murder RapJohn Colville of Fort Pierce, charged with killing his mother in Georgia three years ago, wit he hied on (hat charge in Jefferson, Ga, in March 1372, if was reported todayColville, 18, is an honor student at Indian River CommunityThe officer used a few words of profanity and grabbed him] in the collar, Gibbs was holding! I a gun to Johnson's head, heWr pushed the office,. away, and ovlt; Gibbs shot him. : kr,“J asked a friend to drive mo to 11th Street to look at Gihh's fence whore it was hit. There wasn’t a dent on it.“THE INCIDENT w o r r i e d nie afl weekend and that Sunday night I wrote Mayor Dennis Summerlin a ]filler, because!11/ 3 could see no reason ftir it (ihei^ shooting). Plt;‘T know I here was nn i-csis-'0^ tance, I t was the officer’s loudCollege. His father, Joseph Col-i talking and profanity that hiou-viile, is director ol development at (lie college.An early I rial was requested by Cofvilfe, who has maintained that the boy is innocent. Me xt March was the earliest that the prosecution could get its witnesses together, he saidCharges against the youth were filed in March of this year and requested extradition of I ho boy lo Georgia was denied. At tiict imc of the hearing it was reported that the charge was being filed because1ght mb to my front door.I don't know nothing about/110 a traffic violation, hut if we P1* were all .shot (or traffic viola- if11 lions, tliere’d be few men in; town without bullets in (5iem.’'j — Nelson told the jury,JohRson is being represented I in court by Stuart attorney. Alton Beasley, Helping Beasley as a private investigator is Allen Hayes, a former deputy for the St. Lucie County Sheriff'.^ Dept, Tony Young, assistant state attorney, is prosecuting the case.
Newspaper Details
Fort Pierce News Tribune
Fort Pierce, Florida, US
Wed, Sep 22, 1971
Page 21
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 25 Sep 2023
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