A former officer for the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety is heading to trial for running a man down with his squad car during a chase in May. The Berrien County Prosecutor’s office tells us 51-year-old Patrol Officer Steven Johnson ran over a man who was trying to escape police in Benton Harbor the night of May 10. Officers were investigating a report of a stolen lawnmower when it happened. The man, 25-year-old Ronald Glover, Jr., recovered, and was later sentenced to a year in jail for resisting and obstructing as well as possession of marijuana. In court last week, prosecutors showed dashcam video taken from that night as Johnson pursued Glover into an alley and struck him with his squad vehicle. Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic tells us the footage makes it appear the collision was intentional. The video shows Glover get up after being hit, pause, and then continue fleeing. Judge Arthur Cotter last Thursday set Johnson’s trial on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon for October 16. Johnson faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
