Chauncey

VALDOSTA — A Lowndes County teen pleaded guilty Monday to making false statements in the Kendrick Johnson case.

Dalton Chauncey, 19, pleaded guilty in Lowndes County Superior Court to one count of making a false statement, said Assistant Southern District Attorney Brad Shealy.

Chauncey was arrested Aug. 5, 2014, in connection with statements made during an interview he initiated with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office last July. Chauncey claimed to have information related to Johnson’s death.

Johnson’s body was found upside down in a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School on Jan. 11, 2013. A state autopsy ruled the 17-year-old’s death accidental. The Johnson family has consistently said they believe their son died of foul play.

During a July 18, 2014, interview, Chauncey told LCSO detectives he had a conversation with two white males who were seniors at Lowndes High School and who admitted to killing Johnson over an issue “about a girl.”

He said they were only trying to rough “him up, but they took it too far.” Chauncey reportedly used the names Derrick and Keith to refer to the two students but did not provide their last names, according to sheriff’s office documents.

On July 23, Chauncey admitted to investigators that he had fabricated the story in order to “boast” to a friend, according to LCSO.

Chauncey’s mother, Michelle Chauncey, spoke with The Valdosta Daily Times shortly after her son was charged and said she was not present during the interviews but believed her son had been treated unfairly and did not lie.

Chauncey will be sentenced June 18 and faces one to five years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine, said Shealy.