Officer James Hilton "Cracker" Johnson

James Hilton "Cracker" Johnson

Officer Johnson was killed when he was crushed between a car and a bridge trestle. He had stopped the car for investigation of run rumming. He got on the running board and ordered the car to drive to the courthouse. Within a block from the courthouse the driver deliberately ran Officer Johnson into the trestle causing fatal injuries. The driver, his wife, and another man were arrested and charged with murder.

The 30-year-old driver was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 19 to 20 years in prison. Charges against his wife were dismissed after she spent ten months in jail. The other passenger was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years.