February 14, 2023 – Washington Co., WI – Willie B. Johnson was taken into custody this morning by members of the Milwaukee Police Department Fugitive Task Force at an address in the City of Milwaukee. Johnson is wanted by Washington County authorities on numerous felony warrants for his alleged brutal attack on a female companion that occurred over a several-day period in December 2022.
This attack occurred in the Town of Barton. Johnson had been released by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections from prison on supervision status just weeks before the December attack. Investigators with the FBI, Milwaukee Police Department, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office have been working diligently in a collaborative effort since late December.
While Johnson was on the run from Washington County, he was involved in at least two separate violent incidents in the City of Milwaukee. One involved Johnson allegedly shooting two individuals in a house in January.
Both victims survived their wounds.
The Milwaukee Police Department forwarded that case to the Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office for charges. No charges have been filed at this time in that case.
The second incident was an aggravated domestic incident that occurred in early February and resulted in a felony arrest warrant being issued for Johnson by Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
The FBI, working in coordination with Washington County investigators, was able to identify a possible location of Johnson early Tuesday morning. Milwaukee Police Department Fugitive Task Force was able to take him into custody.
Johnson was found hiding in the attic of the residence. Johnson remains in custody in Milwaukee at this time. He has been charged in Washington County Circuit Court with Aggravated Battery-Great Bodily Harm, Mayhem, False Imprisonment, and Strangulation along with other misdemeanor crimes.
Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis extended his appreciation today to all of the public safety organizations that took part in this several-month multijurisdictional investigation and manhunt.
“This case was a priority because of the propensity of violence that Johnson has displayed his entire adult life as demonstrated by the fact that he was not even out of prison for a month when he began demonstrating his inability to function in society by committing heinous acts of violence. This man should not be out walking the streets of Washington County, the City of Milwaukee, or any other community. Sheriff investigators spent many hours in Milwaukee working hand in hand with our partners tracking Johnson down. I appreciate the efforts of the members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Milwaukee Police Department. Their pursuit of this dangerous fugitive ended the string of violence.”
