Embattled Pearson mayor Robert Johnson no longer has to have a police escort while he is on city property. In April, Johnson’s attorneys filed a motion seeking a modification to the condition of his bond requiring a Pearson police officer to be present him while he is on a city property. This week, a judge granted the motion.
On February 4, 2025, Mayor Johnson was arrested by agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on 25 felony counts. He was incarcerated until March 6, 2025, when he was released on $75,000 bond. One of the conditions of his bond was that a police escort was required while he was on city property.
His legal team wrote in the motion that there are only four police officers in Pearson – two are involved in this case and two work the evening shift, which makes it difficult for an officer to remain with Johnson while he is on city property. And those are the reasons why the bond conditions needed to be modified. “The special condition of having a police escort, in essence, prohibits Mayor Johnson from properly handling his official duties for the City of Pearson for which he was elected and to be able to do so in an environment for him to be effective. There have been no violations of any bond conditions imposed by this Honorable Court,” reads the motion.
Superior Court Judge Clayton Tomlinson granted the modification earlier this week. All other conditions of Johnson’s bond remain in effect.