With low bond, Charlotte man facing 4th felony was out of jail and bailed on court

Demarcus Anthony Johnson, a 25-year-old who last year pleaded guilty to two felonies and two misdemeanors, was facing another felony charge at the start of the week. He’d already posted a low bond set more than a year ago and was free awaiting his court date.

Then he didn’t show up.

Now, there’s another warrant out for his arrest — this time with a bond 25 times the original $10,000.

In July 2023, Johnson was charged with having a gun as a felon. He was also charged with aggravated assault with the intent to kill or seriously harm another person. At the time, Johnson was already facing about a dozen other cases.

A magistrate set his bond at $10,000, secured. He had to pay $1,000 to leave his cell.

Court records do not currently detail what led to the charges.

Johnson spent five weeks in jail following that arrest, according to Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office records.

In court Tuesday, Johnson’s public defender, Kimberly Saxton, said she had not heard from Johnson since November, when at least 11 previous charges were dismissed in a plea deal.

Johnson in November pleaded guilty to breaking into a car, having a stolen car, assaulting a female and misdemeanor larceny. As a part of the deal, he did not serve time for eluding arrest or first-degree kidnapping, among other charges.

As Superior Court Judge Karen Eady-Williams reviewed his case Tuesday, she, the prosecutor and the defense were surprised when they heard his original bond.

Johnson has had at least 16 cases in Mecklenburg County since 2017, according to court documents.