Leonardtown, Maryland –St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Richard Fritz announces that on April 12, 2022, William Edward Johnson, III, Suitland, MD; was found guilty by a St. Mary’s County jury of Armed Car Jacking, Armed Robbery, First Degree Assault, Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, Possession of a Regulated Firearm with a Prior Felony Conviction as well as other firearm charges after a two-day trial.
Johnson III was arrested in Feb. 2018 on an outstanding warrant for Armed Robbery for the incident that happened in November 2017. Johnson III was defended by the St. Mary’s County Public Defender, Ryan Posey(Montgomery Co.), Frederick Lester Jr(Waldorf, MD), Johanna Fortuna(Baltimore, MD), and Brendan Callahan(Prince Frederick, MD) at various times throughout his case.
Mr. Fritz would like to thank Deputy State’s Attorney Daniel White and Senior State’s Attorney John Stackhouse for the successful prosecution of this case and also for Prince George’s County Police Department, Charles County Sheriff’s Department, and St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department for their exemplary police work generally; more specifically, Mr. Fritz would like to thank SGT David Alexander and SGT Christopher Beyer for their participation in this trial to secure Mr. Johnson’s conviction.
Mr. Johnson‘s exposure is over 100 years, and he is being held at the St. Mary’s County Detention Center pending the preparation of a pre-sentence investigation.
The courts are now open after a nearly two-year delay of jury trials due to COVID.