Charges against Tennessee defensive tackle Alexis Johnson have been reduced provided Johnson can stay out of trouble for six months, according to WBIR-TV in East Tennessee.
Johnson was originally charged with aggravated assault and false imprisonment after being accused of assaulting a woman and holding her against her will on Valentine’s Day. The Volunteers suspended him four days later.
But on Thursday, Knox County Sessions Court Judge Chuck Cerny reduced Johnson’s aggravated assault charge to misdemeanor domestic assault and dropped the false imprisonment altogether, provided Johnson can remain clean for the next six months.
He is due back in Knox County court on Oct. 10.
“We were able to reach a successful agreement with the district attorney’s office,” Johnson’s attorney Gregory P. Isaacs said. “All the charge will be dismissed in six months. He has no other requirements.”
“After reviewing the evidence and consulting multiple times with the alleged victim, we felt that this was the fairest resolution for this case,” the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.
According to the original complaint, Johnson allegedly tried to isolate the woman to his bedroom, then began “play fighting” that escalated, with Johnson being accused of choking the woman to the point she felt she might pass out. A witness also said Johnson punched the woman and busted her lip.
