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Tuesday, November 10, 2026Nov 10

Hamilton County judge rules teen can be placed on house arrest rather than jail

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photo Jumoke Johnson smiles and laughs with a friend while heading for a student assembly at Brainerd High School.

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Three generations of men on a crooked path. And the youngest stares his future in the face.

An 18-year-old senior at Brainerd High School may get to walk in Saturday’s graduation ceremonies after a Hamilton County judge drafted an order to have him released from jail and placed on house arrest.

Jumoke Johnson, Jr. was not given due process Friday during a bond hearing Friday in General Sessions Court, Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman wrote in the order. In Friday’s hearing, Judge Christine Mahn Sell did not state a reason for doubling the teen’s bond and having him taken to jail.

On Monday, Steelman – who already had placed Johnson on house arrest in relation to other charges – reduced the bond.

Hank Hill, a defense attorney representing Johnson on an aggravated assault case stemming from a jail brawl, filed a petition today to have the teen released on house arrest. Hill argued Johnson was being held unconstitutionally.