Caon City Fire Official Accused Of Drunken Brawl, Eluding Police

A high-ranking Caon City firefighter is facing felony assault and drunk driving charges.

Lt. Erik Johnson also stands accused of trying to run from the police.

KRDO Newschannel 13 was in attendance today, as Johnson appeared to hear the charges against him.

Johnson is a lieutenant with the Caon City Fire Department. He?s also the Fire Chief at a volunteer fire department in Fremont County.

His charges stem from an incident that happened on September 27th.

Caon City Police say Johnson was driving drunk along Macon Street when he nearly hit a bicycle coming from another direction.

A man who witnessed the incident says things escalated pretty quickly. ?[The bicyclist] yelled at him, and told him ?you almost hit me??, says Joe Burris, ?Then [Johnson] slammed on his brakes, put the truck in park, and he actually jumped out of the truck.?

Burris says Johnson proceeded to grab the man off his bicycle, which led to the two exchanging blows.

Police followed Johnson to his home minutes later, where they reportedly found him trying to hide in a tree. Officers spotted him after hearing him talk on his cell phone.

The Caon City Fire Chief tells KRDO Newschannel 13 that his department has launched an internal investigation, but will wait until the outcome of the criminal case before making any decisions.

For now Johnson’s on the job. Watch James Jarman tonight on KRDO Newschannel 13 at 10 for more details on today?s court appearance.