Johnson Lester, 95: the Aggravated Assault Suspect You Can't Help but Want to Hug

By James King Fri., Jun. 24 2011 at 7:34 AM

Phoenix Police Department

Johnson Lester, 95: how could anyone be mad at this guy, he's adorable?

Johnson Lester's wife recently moved out of the home the two shared in the 3000 block of East Desert Cove Drive in Phoenix. A Department of Public Safety officer who lives across the street from the 95-year-old man helped his wife move -- which appears to be the only reason Lester would have to repeatedly crash his SUV into the officer's house early yesterday morning.

Phoenix police were called about 4:30 a.m. yesterday to the home of the 53-year-old, off-duty officer as Lester was crashing his Honda CRV into the officer's house as the cop, his wife, and his son's girlfriend were sleeping inside.

The officer then watched as Lester began crashing the SUV into the front of his house, specifically, into the master bedroom where the officer and his wife had been sleeping.

The officer tried to stop Lester from ramming into his house with the SUV, and even fired a few rounds into his vehicle. But he didn't hit Lester, who continued to crash the SUV into the house.

Lester was finally stopped by a planter on which the SUV became stuck.

Officers arrived on the scene as Lester became stuck on the planter. When they arrived, he was still accelerating and smoke was coming from the SUV.

Officers opened the car door to try to remove Lester, at which point he took a swing at one of the cops.

Lester, it turns out, is deaf, and had some trouble communicating with the officers, which turned out not to matter because he didn't want to talk, anyway, according to police.

Because Lester clammed up, detectives were unable to determine what would drive him to crash his car into his helpful, police-officer-neighbor's house.

Phoenix Sergeant Steve Martos says there was no outstanding feud between the two neighbors, but rather the officer's family helped the suspect's wife move out of the house. Martos DID NOT describe the incident as a "cluster fuck."

Lester's been booked on one count each of aggravated assault, endangerment, and criminal damage.

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Roro

Just a thought: Looks like he has an "anger management" problem, possibly why his wife moved out. I wonder what the scenario would have been had he been possession of a firearm? Would he have shot up the house or worse?

demoncat_4

he has to be the oldest person ever charged with a crime. odds are he will proably be put under pychatric evaluation before possibly taken to a jail cell though the officer who was the target of the guy ramming his suv all over taking lester wife should consider himself lucky no one in the house was killed and he did not wind up killing lester when he shot at the suv to stop it.

WoxFoo

Awww, poor guy, you have to feel sorry for him, thats so sad.www.real-privacy.no.tc

Native Guns

He's probably the oldest criminal to be booked into arpaio's horrific gulag. Lets hope he survives in there, given to the fact that arpaio's jails were condemned by many health organizations. Where your health is the least concern. Then again, shouldn't there be an age limit on how old people can legally drive? They're suffering from all kinds of health ailments, putting the general public in danger. There's got to be an age limit.

Tommy Collins

Shadow, he likely will never actually see the MCSO gulag. I'm fairly sure he will be held in a medical unit someplace. Or, the MCSO shurf might just take him home with him to Fountain Hills and regale him with war stories from his books. While the older guy just sits there and nods occasionally... at least that way it will be one less podium appearance for the shurf...

Native Guns

T.C. that cracked me up. But the older one is "deaf", and probably doesn't have the ability to speak either. Whether the FF will notice this or not, but he'll feel pity for the old man and may let him off the hook. There's not much you can do with older criminals, so you might as well send him back home.