Poplar Bluff man sentences to prison for assaulting officers

A Poplar Bluff man was sentenced to time in jail for assaulting officers. 29-year-old James Johnson was charged with felony assaulting law enforcement officers, as well as discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime. These charges stem from an incident in July of 2018, where Johnson opened fire on officers that went into his apartment to arrest him on an outstanding arrest warrant. One of the officers was shot in the forearm, another in the chest, and one took a shot to their shield. A 9mm and .380 pistol were recovered from his bedroom, and Johnson admitted he had used the 9mm to shoot at the officers. He was sentenced to 32 years in prison for these charges.