Burnet County political player gets fined, sentenced to anger management for striking journalist
BURNET — A former local and state Republican Party official accepted a plea deal Jan. 11 in a Burnet County courtroom that has him headed to anger management classes for punching a Burnet newspaper editor last May.
Johnnie B. Rogers, 63, pled no contest in Judge Robert C. Richardson’s court to a Class A misdemeanor assault charge. A Burnet County Grand Jury indicted him in June 2012 on the third-degree felony charge of injury to a child/elderly/disabled with intent to do bodily injury.
Rogers, as part of the plea agreement reached with prosecutors, will do six months of deferred adjudication, which is a form on probation, pay a $500 fine and complete 50 hours of community service as well as an anger management class.
He had faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the third-degree felony charge.
The charge stemmed from a May 29, 2012, altercation with local newspaper editor James Walker, 66, outside the Burnet County Republican Party headquarters in Burnet. Members of the local Republican Party were holding a primary return-watching party at a building located at the corner of South Pierce and East Jackson.
According to an affidavit prepared by Burnet Police Chief Paul Nelson, he witnessed Rogers and Walker leave the building about 8:30 p.m. and go to a nearby parking lot. Nelson then saw Rogers strike Walker in the face in the head-and-neck area several times, the affidavit stated.
Because of Walker’s age at the time, Rogers was charged with felony injury to a child/elderly/disabled, though the two men were only separated in age by a few years.
When the assault occurred, Rogers was the president of the Burnet County Republican Party. He also was a member of the Texas Republican Party’s executive committee. He has since stepped down or not sought re-election for those positions.
According to the affidavit, Walker told investigators the incident stemmed from a newspaper article he was going to print about Rogers in the paper.
The proceedings since the indictment included the local district judge and district attorney stepping aside from the case. An administrative judge appointed Richardson, who is from San Antonio, to hear the case. And a special prosecutor was brought in to prosecute.
After Rogers’ plea, Walker was able to address the court and the defendant.
“I regret this incident ever happened. I hope Johnnie B. Rogers regrets it,” Walker said. “Mr. Rogers needs to understand that if he continues to be involved in (the community), it’s a good chance his name may appear in my paper. And it may be stuff he doesn’t like.”
Walker said if Rogers didn’t agree with what was written about him, the way to handle it isn’t to “beat me up in the town square.”
Legal experts said a “no contest” plea just means the defendant isn’t contesting the charge, but the court can continue in a manner as if it were a guilty plea.
daniel@thepicayune.com