Fire Lieutenant Charged With Felony Assault & Drunk Driving

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

Lt. Erik Johnson is also the Fire Chief of the Tallahassee Volunteer Fire Department in Fremont County.

He was advised of the charges against him in Fremont County Court in Caon City Wednesday afternoon. He told KRDO Newschannel 13 he had no comment after the hearing.

The charges stem from an incident on September 27, on Macon Street in Caon.

According to witnesses and police reports, Johnson was driving his pickup and almost hit a bicyclist. The bicyclist yelled an expletive, which was apparently enough to get Johnson to stop his truck and come back.

“The guy in the truck slammed on his brakes put the truck in park and he actually jumped out of the truck,” Joe Burris, an eyewitness to the incident, told KRDO Newschannel 13, “(Johnson) ran over to the guy grabbed him, threw him off his bicycle and then the fight was on.”

The victim suffered serious injuries, according to the police report.

3 witnesses, including Burris, say Johnson then drove away. They gave Caon City Police the licenses plate number. They found Johnson at his home hiding in a tree. They say they found him because they heard him talking on his cell phone.

Police also say Johnson told them he was the victim. He then tried to run from them, but they fired off a taser. It hit the jacket he was wearing, but did not hit him. After that, though, he did stop running.

Caon City Fire Chief Dave DelVecchio told KRDo Newschannel 13 an internal investigation is underway. He also says they won’t make any decisions on any possible punitive action until the criminal case is over.

For now, Johnson is still on the job at the Caon City Fire Department where he is paid around $64,000 annually.