On Monday (Mar 4), Circuit Judge Melanie Chase sentenced Carl JOHNSON (34), to twenty-five (25) years in state prison for Violating Probation (F2), after a Seminole County Jury convicted him on February 1, 2024, for Felony Battery (F3), Witness Tampering (F3), and four counts of Violating the Conditions of Pretrial Release, stemming from a domestic violence attack in 2022.

 

In a two-day trial with evidence presented by Assistant State Attorneys Austin Auletta and Anna Valentini, the jury deliberated just over one (1) hour before returning with the guilty as charged verdicts. 

 

Prior to sentencing JOHNSON was classified as a Violent Felony Offender who was on probation for an Aggravated Battery when he attacked his former girlfriend causing great bodily harm and severe injuries. Not deterred by his arrest, JOHNSON continued to harass the victim from jail by repeatedly calling her. Those actions violated both the no contact requirement for domestic violence cases, and a No Contact Order, resulting in the tampering charge.

 

Judge Chase adjudicated JOHNSON guilty and sentenced him to fifteen (15) years for Violation of Probation, followed by five (5) years for Felony Battery, followed by five (5) years for Witness Tampering, for a total of twenty-five (25) years in prison.

 

After the sentencing, JOHNSON was returned to custody at the Seminole County Jail and will now be transferred to the Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.