Harris County District Judge Kelli Johnson Arrested on DWI Charge

HOUSTON – A Harris County District Court judge was arrested for driving while intoxicated, according to court documents.

Judge Kelli Johnson, who currently serves as presiding judge of the 178th Criminal District Court, was arrested Tuesday at 1:55 a.m. and charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, by the Houston Police Department. Since then, she has made a bond.

According to officers, Judge Johnson was turning left in the 11600 block of Hempstead Road when she was stopped. Officers said the judge was driving below the speed limit and when officers arrived at her vehicle, she had her hands up. It’s unclear why officers initially detained the judge.

Judge Johnson has presided over many cases in her judicial capacity, from state prison felonies to capital murder cases. The most recent and notable was the AJ Armstrong trial, which she presided over in all three Armstrong cases. The prosecution’s first two attempts were declared mistrials in 2019 and 2022 because the jury could not reach a verdict. During the third trial, AJ was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

Who is Judge Johnson?

Judge Johnson was elected by her peers as an administrative judge for the Criminal Board. Overseeing that board means helping manage the volume of court cases, the implementation of new rules and other administrative tasks.

Before the honor took the bench, Judge Johnson spent 17 years as a Harris County Deputy District Attorney. At one point, she worked as the head of serious crimes for the district attorney’s office at the courthouse he now presides over.

She helps young women on her docket overcome addictions and volunteers as a judge in the Success Through Addiction Recovery, or STAR, program.

Judge Johnson holds degrees from Texas Christian University and South Texas College of Law.