On a warm summer night in July 2002, Corporal Kenneth Jeffrey Johnson, a 38-year-old male officer with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, was diligently working at a public safety checkpoint in Berkeley County, not far from Summerville. It was the early morning of July 7th when a pickup truck was stopped by the troopers on College Park Road. As one of his fellow officers was issuing a ticket to the female driver for an open container, Corporal Johnson approached the passenger side of the
vehicle to identify the male passenger.
In a sudden and violent turn of events, the passenger, Jesse Waylon Sapp, who was 22 at the time, jumped out of the truck and opened fire on Corporal Johnson. A bullet struck the officer in the abdomen, just below the protection of his bulletproof vest. The other troopers at the scene immediately returned fire, wounding Sapp and taking him into custody. It was later discovered that Sapp was an escapee from a work-release program in Charleston County. The female driver, identified as 20-year-old Kathryn Boles of Summerville, was also arrested and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.
Corporal Johnson, a 12-year veteran of the Highway Patrol and a native of Berkeley County, succumbed to his injuries. His death was a profound loss to his family, including his wife and two children, and the law enforcement community.
Jesse Waylon Sapp faced multiple charges, including murder. On May 18, 2003, he was convicted on seven counts and was subsequently sentenced to death the following day. However, the case took another somber turn in October 2015 when Sapp was found to have committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell.
