Darren Johnson pleads not guilty as prosecutors say video shows pickup striking neighbor

Darren Johnson pleaded not guilty in 180th Judicial District Court in San Antonio to an indictment that alleges he used a motor vehicle as a deadly weapon to injure his neighbor, Mark Wayne Clanton, on Oct. 20, 2023.

Prosecutor Megan Galloway told jurors in opening statements that video and witness testimony will show Johnson parked a white Ford F‑350, moved Clanton’s trash cans and then “accelerate, put her truck up on the curb, collide with the trash bin, and knock Mark Clanton over,” injuries that prosecutors say support counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and injury to an elderly person.

The indictment presented to the court alleges two counts: (1) aggravated assault by use and exhibition of a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) and (2) causing bodily injury to an individual 65 or older. The court record identifies the case as 2024 CR 2675. At arraignment the defendant entered the plea “Not guilty, your honor.”

Why it matters: prosecutors said the case rests on video, witness statements and medical observations showing Clanton was…