Todd and Dena Ellis Charged With Perjury After Allegedly Making Up a Story to Get a New Judge
Categories: Law & Order
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| Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office |
| Todd Ellis (left) and Dena Ellis |
According to a probable-cause affidavit, Todd Ellis submitted a signed motion to disqualify Judge Laura Johnson from their case in a West Palm Beach court in June, saying he'd known Johnson when they were kids, that he had a "vicious fist fight" with the judge's husband, the judge was biased and had a "total disregard" for the law, and an order from Johnson had "severely affected" his own child's future.
A week later, Dena Ellis signed an affidavit saying all that jazz was true, and Johnson disqualified herself from the case, since the motion -- at the time -- was legally sufficient.
The problem was -- at least according to investigators -- that none of that stuff was true.
Johnson told police that she knew Todd Ellis from the landlord-tenant dispute case and that they didn't agree with her, but that's all she knew them from.
Apparently Johnson had never actually seen Ellis before, as she didn't even recognize him from his driver's license photo.
Police showed Dena Ellis' driver's license, and Johnson said she didn't recognize her either.
The cops then went to Johnson's husband, William Johnson, to ask about, among other things, that "vicious fist fight."
He'd never heard of these people, seen these people, or otherwise had anything to do with them, according to documents.
The Ellises were then arrested on one count each of perjury by false written declaration -- a felony -- and were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
They've since been released on $3,000 bond each, but both face maximum prison sentences of five years if convicted on their charges.
Follow The Pulp on Facebook and on Twitter: @ThePulpBPB. Follow Matthew Hendley on Facebook and on Twitter: @MatthewHendley.
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