A man convicted of a 2023 felony DUI incident was sentenced by a San Luis Obispo judge this week to 14 years plus 25 years to life in prison.
According to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, the significant sentence is based on Ryan James Johnson’s extensive criminal history and felony convictions under California’s Three Strikes Law.
In the 2023 incident, Johnson reportedly drove northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo while high on methamphetamine and marijuana and crashed into several vehicles. He fled the scene but was later arrested and taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. He left the hospital without officers’ knowledge and returned home, where he was arrested again the next day.
The DA’s Office says Johnson’s criminal record dates back to 1995 with multiple felonies for theft, drugs, DUI, and violence. He also received four prior strike convictions for a 2009 robbery that resulted in a fatal shooting. In that case, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery, first-degree residential burglary, and two counts of robbery involving multiple victims. One of Johnson’s accomplices in that crime was shot by the victim and died.
