Posted 10:56 pm Friday, September 14, 2012
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Court denies appeal; CEO to be arrested
By Dayna Worchel
dworchel@tylerpaper.com
A Tyler appeals court dismissed the appeal for a nonprofit chief executive officer, and her arrest could happen in about a week, prosecutors said.
dworchel@tylerpaper.com
A Tyler appeals court dismissed the appeal for a nonprofit chief executive officer, and her arrest could happen in about a week, prosecutors said.
Denetrius Miller Johnson, 47, who pleaded guilty in the Smith County 241st District Court in August to writing $10,000 in bad checks, was sentenced to a 15-month prison term for those felony offenses by Judge Jack Skeen Jr.
Prosecutor Jason Parrish said on Thursday that once the court receives the order from the 12th Court of Appeals, a warrant will be issued for Ms. Johnson’s arrest.
Because Ms. Johnson was sentenced to less than 10 years for the state jail felony, she was entitled to a $50,000 appeal bond, Parrish said in August.
Ms. Johnson, founder and CEO of the Tyler nonprofit organization Sisters in Christ, has a history of writing bad checks in Smith County from 1987 to 2009, and has served jail time on several of those offenses, Parrish said.
Parrish argued for the maximum amount of time, which is two years in a state jail facility for the crime.
Ms. Johnson testified in August that she was working with the Smith County District Attorney’s Office in 2009 to pay back money she owed when she lost her job at a home health agency. She said her husband then died from stomach cancer, and her sole source of income was her husband’s monthly Social Security benefits of $1,439.
Her probation was then revoked, she said, after she was not able to make her payments. The checks, Ms. Johnson said, were written on a credit union account for items for the Sisters in Christ charity, not for herself.
Because Ms. Johnson was sentenced to less than 10 years for the state jail felony, she was entitled to a $50,000 appeal bond, Parrish said in August.
Ms. Johnson, founder and CEO of the Tyler nonprofit organization Sisters in Christ, has a history of writing bad checks in Smith County from 1987 to 2009, and has served jail time on several of those offenses, Parrish said.
Parrish argued for the maximum amount of time, which is two years in a state jail facility for the crime.
Ms. Johnson testified in August that she was working with the Smith County District Attorney’s Office in 2009 to pay back money she owed when she lost her job at a home health agency. She said her husband then died from stomach cancer, and her sole source of income was her husband’s monthly Social Security benefits of $1,439.
Her probation was then revoked, she said, after she was not able to make her payments. The checks, Ms. Johnson said, were written on a credit union account for items for the Sisters in Christ charity, not for herself.
During the August hearing, Skeen, along with Parrish and defense attorney Clifton Roberson, discussed Ms. Johnson’s ability to pay the $10,000 restitution if she were sentenced to probation. Parrish expressed doubt that Ms. Johnson would be able to pay a $250 monthly charge to the District Attorney’s Office during a five-year period on a monthly income of $1,439.
Ms. Johnson also testified in August that she had a brain tumor. Roberson presented medical records to the court from East Texas Medical Center showing that doctors there had referred her to a hospital in Dallas for treatment for patients who have no insurance.
“She will receive treatment at the taxpayer’s expense either way — whether she is in jail or going to the hospital,” Parrish said in court in August.
Ms. Johnson also made news in July when she arranged a fundraising event that claimed Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry would attend. But Ms. Berry’s agent said the star was filming a movie and would not be attending. The charity event and the felony theft charge are not related.
Ms. Johnson also testified in August that she had a brain tumor. Roberson presented medical records to the court from East Texas Medical Center showing that doctors there had referred her to a hospital in Dallas for treatment for patients who have no insurance.
“She will receive treatment at the taxpayer’s expense either way — whether she is in jail or going to the hospital,” Parrish said in court in August.
Ms. Johnson also made news in July when she arranged a fundraising event that claimed Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry would attend. But Ms. Berry’s agent said the star was filming a movie and would not be attending. The charity event and the felony theft charge are not related.
