Inmate shocked with taser continues to testify in trial against ex-Pee-Dee sheriff

FLORENCE, SC (WMBF) – The inmate at the center of the federal trial of a former Marlboro County sheriff will testify again Thursday.

Federal prosecutors accuse former Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon of depriving inmate Jarrel Johnson of his civil rights in 2020 by ordering a deputy to stun him with a taser.

Jarrel Johnson and his father Ronny Johnson testified on Wednesday.

Ronny Johnson said his son was arrested on May 3, 2020, on charges of beating his father with an aluminum baseball bat and his fists so severely that he was on life support for a week.

Ronny Johnson testified that the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office initially told him his son needed to be Tasered for attacking Lemon. The elder Johnson said he believed that for a while until he saw the body camera video.

The same body camera footage was played in court on Tuesday.

During testimony Wednesday, Ronny Johnson said Lemon could be heard in the video telling Jarrel Johnson, “I know your whole family, you're nobody,” before threatening to use the Taser on his head.

When Jarrel Johnson took the stand, he claimed he couldn't remember much of what happened. He said he remembered being shocked with a Taser twice. He also said he wasn't sure why the deputy used a Taser on him multiple times because he claimed he wasn't trying to hurt anyone in the jail.

As the trial resumed Wednesday, prosecutors questioned Lemon's training record, claiming the sheriff's office did not discuss policies on the use of Tasers, but did discuss policies on other issues, such as social media use.

These allegations were confirmed on Wednesday by the testimony of several witnesses, including that of a former prison officer.

A member of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy also testified, explaining that during training, police officers are instructed to only use a Taser on someone three times. Prosecutors say inmate Jarrel Johnson was shocked with a Taser six times.

Lemon is charged in federal court with deprivation of his civil rights. He has pleaded not guilty in that case.

The former deputy who attacked Jarrel Johnson with a Taser, Andrew Cook, testified Tuesday, accepting a plea deal in the case.

Jarrel Johnson will be questioned by the defense on Thursday morning.

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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