COLUMBIANA COUNTY Dem chief charged with DUI

The chairman of the party in Columbiana County works for Rep. Traficant.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
CANFIELD -- A deputy sheriff charged Dennis C. Johnson with DUI after detecting a strong smell of alcohol on the chairman of the Columbiana County Democratic Party, who drove his car into a ditch near Canfield Fairgrounds.
Mahoning County Deputy Sheriff Jeff Saluga, who was dispatched to the accident scene at 5331 Leffingwell Road around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, said in his report that he smelled the alcohol odor as he listened to Johnson's version of what happened.
When Saluga asked Johnson if he'd had anything to drink, Johnson answered: "Yeah, a couple of beers."
Johnson, who turns 61 on Christmas, kept saying he was a deputy sheriff and flashed a badge and identification card at Saluga, reports show. Saluga, who inspected the ID and discovered it was a civil commission, confiscated the ID and badge.
The party chairman was then asked to perform field sobriety tests and failed them, Saluga said in his report. Johnson's blood alcohol content, taken nearby at the Ohio State Highway Patrol post on state Route 46, registered .16. The legal limit is 0.1.
Saluga's check list of Johnson's condition shows that he mumbled, swayed, moved in slow motion and kept falling against the car. Johnson was unable to keep his balance while listening to instructions for the field sobriety tests and refused to do one of them, which required that he touch his nose with his finger, reports show.
The undamaged 1998 Chevrolet he was driving was towed to Passarelli Bros. in Youngstown.
In addition to DUI, Johnson, of North Union Street, Salem was charged with failure to control. He was given a citation to appear in Canfield's county court at 6 p.m. today.
Traficant worker: Johnson took a leave of absence in March 1999 from General Motors in Lordstown to work for U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., of Poland, D-17th.
The Democratic Party chairman works out of Traficant's unlisted office at 4590 Boardman-Canfield Road (U.S. Route 224) in Canfield. The office, at the corner of Tippecanoe Road, is a short distance from the accident scene.
A message seeking comment from Johnson was left at Traficant's Canfield office.
Testimony: The government subpoenaed Johnson to testify in the October racketeering trial of James A. Vitullo of North Jackson and Russell J. Saadey Jr. of Austintown. Vitullo was found innocent; Saadey, known as "Champ," was found guilty.
Johnson testified that he intervened in a Columbiana robbery case at the request of Saadey, whose family contributed to the Columbiana Democratic Party.
The following reflects statements Johnson made when interviewed by the FBI in September 1998:
* From January to May 1995, Johnson would go to The Upstairs Lounge in Austintown (owned by Saadey's cousin) with friends and political candidates and Saadey would pay for the dinners and liquor bills. Johnson said this occurred in return for his assistance with the Columbiana case.
* When questioned at the grand jury [a month earlier] about gratuities, Johnson said he wasn't thinking of the dinners as gratuities.
meade@vindy.com