Teacher sentenced to 120 days, five years probation for DUI
death of his wife
After letter writers, his children and even his late wife’s
family pleaded for mercy, teacher Bill Johnson received a lenient
sentence Tuesday for the drunken driving wreck that killed Nancy
Johnson in July.
Teacher sentenced to 120 days, five years probation for DUI death of his wife
After letter writers, his children and even his late wife’s family pleaded for mercy, teacher Bill Johnson received a lenient sentence Tuesday for the drunken driving wreck that killed Nancy Johnson in July.
Johnson was sentenced to 120 days in jail and five years probation, and will serve the four-month sentence wearing an ankle bracelet that will allow him to continue to teach biology at San Benito High School. He will not serve time in jail.
Judge Steve Sanders heard comments from 20 witnesses in the case, including the Nancy McAbee Johnson’s father, brother and other family members.
“Every single one of them were character witnesses for the defense,” said District Attorney Harry Damkar. “Johnson had nothing on his record, not even a parking ticket.”
Johnson, a popular science teacher, had been facing felony vehicular manslaughter charges after the night last July when he and his wife left a Tres Pinos wedding reception drunk. Johnson had been behind the wheel when the vehicle rolled off Airline Highway near Best Road, killing his childhood sweetheart, who was not wearing a seatbelt. She was a second grade teacher at San Juan Elementary School.
Since then, many in the community have rallied around Johnson to plead for leniency. In November he was charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and DUI – instead of a felony charge that would have meant the loss of his teaching certificate – but the teacher’s fate was still uncertain.
Apparently, those pleas were heard.
“It was a really dumb act,” said Damkar, who prosecuted the case. “But the worst punishment Mr. Johnson could have is losing his life mate.”
During the one-hour sentencing, Sanders said that the case was extraordinary because of the mitigating circumstances both in the facts of the incident and the character of Johnson, a lifelong resident of Hollister.
The sentence isn’t a complete cakewalk, however. Johnson has to pay several thousand dollars in fines and restitution, and design and teach a special class to warn students of the dangers of drunk driving and substance abuse. For the next five years he is subject to random drug and chemical testing. And any time he goes further than 20 yards from his home, he has to call the probation department first and let them know. If he doesn’t warn them, the police will pick him up and put him in jail, said Damkar.
He also must stay away from any place that is serving alcoholic beverages for five years.
Damkar was happy with the outcome.
“Sanders did an excellent job of going through a legal analysis of the whole thing,” he said.
Apparently, so was Sanders, who offered to help teach the special class if Johnson wants him to.
