Millis Officer Who Fabricated Shooting Pleads Not Guilty

A former Millis Police officer who allegedly fabricated being shot at last week pleaded not guilty and will remain on home confinement pending trial. 

Bryan Johnson, 24, who was a part-time officer for the department, faces charges of misleading a police investigation, malicious destruction of property valued at greater than $250, unlawful discharge of a firearm and providing false information to emergency services personnel.

Johnson reportedly shot his own car last Wednesday before crashing it off Forest Road in Millis, Police announced Thursday afternoon. The part-time officer’s cruiser then caught fire after crashing. Johnson reported that a man in a maroon pickup truck had fired the shots before speeding away. At the time, he was believed to be hiding in the woods surrounding the area.

The report prompted a massive manhunt, with local departments and state police searching Millis, Medfield and Norfolk with dozens of cruisers, ATVs and a helicopter. Area residents were ordered to shelter in place, leaving a community terrified that a gunman was on the loose. Schools in Millis were canceled Thursday while the manhunt continued.

Police on Wednesday responded to the area of Forest Road on Wednesday after Johnson reported a suspect fired shots at his cruiser. The cruiser had gone off the road and caught fire. Immediately after, police conducted a large search of the community but never found a suspect or a car connected to any suspect.

Wrentham District Court Judge Stephen Ostrach imposed $10,000 cash bail, with GPS-enforced home confinement should he post bail.

Johnson is scheduled to return to Wrentham District Court at 9 a.m. on October 30, 2015 for a probable cause hearing.