HINSDALE — Longtime Fire Chief Robert J. Johnson has pleaded guilty to an aggravated driving while intoxicated charge in the 8th Circuit Court District Division in Keene.

Johnson was scheduled to appear in the district court for a Feb. 1 arraignment on the charge stemming from a Dec. 16 incident. However, Johnson’s attorney Theodore Parent said Johnson intended to plead guilty to the charge in a Jan. 17 letter to the court.

On Jan. 20 Johnson was sentenced to 190 days in the Cheshire County House of Corrections, with all but 10 days suspended.

According to court documents he was expected to appear for the sentence this week. He has a deferred sentence hearing scheduled for April 20 in the district court. When contacted, Parent refused to comment.

Johnson has been fire chief in the town since 1995.

Hinsdale Town Administrator Jill Collins previously declined to comment on the arrest or if Johnson was placed on leave, saying he is a town employee and she could not comment on personnel matters.

Thursday afternoon Town Clerk Tammy-Jean Akeley said the fire chief position is elected and Johnson has not filed for office as of yet. The filing period ends today at 5 p.m.

Currently First Assistant Fire Chief Jay Matuszewski is the only candidate who has filed for office.

On Dec. 16 around 9:45 p.m. Northfield, Mass., police notified both Hinsdale and Winchester police of a hit and run on Route 63 just 50 yards from the New Hampshire state border.

The motorist had struck a utility police and continued up Route 63, Northfield police said.

Later that night a Hinsdale police officer found a heavily damaged red 2006 GMC pickup truck parked at the Northfield Drive-in on Route 63/Hinsdale Road in Winchester. With the help of Hinsdale police, Winchester officers arrested 53-year-old Johnson of Hinsdale at the drive-in around 11 p.m., said Winchester Sgt. Scott Hurley in December.

Johnson was found standing outside of the vehicle. Due to his high level of intoxication — he registered a .2 on the breathalyzer — he was charged with aggravated DWI, Hurley said. The legal limit is .08.

Johnson was also facing a misdemeanor charge in Northfield, Mass., for striking the utility pole and leaving the scene, Officer Scott Minckler of Northfield police said in December.