According to authorities, 20 year old Antavio Johnson recorded a song entitled "Kill Me a Cop," in which two Lakeland police officers were mentioned by name.
Hood Certified Entertainment Owner Daniel Barajas, a friend of Johnson, then reportedly posted the song on his company's MySpace page — which was subsequently viewed by a Polk County gang detective.
At the time of the song's discovery by police, Johnson was in jail for violating the terms of his probation on a cocaine possession conviction. He was then charged with two counts of "corruption by threat of a public servant," to which he plead no contest — and was given the two year sentence in state prison.
According to Barajas the song was mistakenly uploaded as part of a collection of unpublished works.
"It was my mistake. I didn't listen to it thoroughly," Barajas said. "I liked the beat."
Johnson's song contained a number of what prosecutors called "threatening lyrics," reportedly including "Im'ma kill me a cop one day."
According to Chief Assistant State Attorney Chip Thullbery, the two year sentence "appeared to be an appropriate punishment."
Noted adult entertainment attorney and First Amendment scholar Lawrence Walters believes that the lyrics are protected by the First Amendment.
"Gang violence against the police is a problem that needs to be addressed," Walters told XBIZ. "But in our zeal to protect law enforcement, we should not sacrifice the precious Free Speech rights of those who have come to see the police as the enemy, instead of the protector."
