COLUMBIANA COUNTY Democrats say little on leader's DUI arrest

The Democratic chairman's arrest comes two months after he testified at a racketeering trial.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
CANFIELD -- Columbiana County Democratic leaders are surprised to hear that Dennis C. Johnson, the party's chairman, is charged with driving under the influence, but are tight-lipped when asked if the arrest will have an impact on his political future.
Johnson, Democratic chairman since August 1991, drove a car into a ditch near the Canfield Fairgrounds about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department says. A deputy sheriff who investigated the accident said he smelled alcohol on Johnson's breath and the party chairman admitted he had a couple of beers earlier in the day. Johnson's blood alcohol content registered 0.16; the legal limit is 0.1.
Johnson, of North Union Street in Salem, who will turn 61 on Christmas Day, also was charged with failure to control a vehicle.
He pleaded innocent Wednesday to the two charges in Mahoning County Court here. Judge Scott Hunter released him on his own recognizance pending a pretrial hearing at 6 p.m. Jan. 23.
"Mr. Johnson, like every other defendant in the United States of America, is presumed innocent. At this juncture, we have entered a not guilty plea, and we have scheduled this matter for a pretrial conference in January," said his lawyer, John Shultz, after the arraignment.
Trial testimony: The arrest came two months after Johnson testified at the federal racketeering trial of James A. Vitullo of North Jackson and Russell J. Saadey Jr. of Austintown. Vitullo was found innocent, and Saadey was found guilty.
At the trial, Johnson testified that he intervened in a Columbiana robbery case at the request of Saadey, whose family contributed to the Columbiana Democratic Party. During a September 1998 interview with the FBI, Johnson said Saadey paid for his dinner and liquor bills at an Austintown restaurant owned by a Saadey relative.
No comment: County Commissioner Sean Logan, a Democrat, was critical of Johnson after the testimony in the racketeering trial. But when asked about the arrest, he would not comment.
County Commissioner David E. Cranmer, a Democrat, also declined to comment on Johnson's arrest or what it would mean for his political future. But Cranmer acknowledged that the arrest is not a good sign.
"I've only known him for the past three years and I have had no problems with him," Cranmer said of Johnson. "He doesn't ask anything of me. He doesn't persuade me to vote on any issue. He pretty much stays out of my business as an officeholder."
Columbiana Republican Chairman Jerry Ward said he was sorry to hear about the arrest. But he noted that Johnson is innocent until proved guilty.
When asked his thoughts on Johnson's political future, Ward said, "Whether he stays or goes is a decision [the Democrats] will have to make."
Besides his duties as Columbiana Democratic chairman, Johnson has worked on the staff of U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. of Poland, D-17th, since March 1999.
Johnson is in no danger of losing his job with the congressman because of the arrest, said Charles Straub, Traficant's spokesman. But Johnson is taking a few days of vacation this week, which were not planned before the arrest, Straub said.
Badge: Deputy Sheriff Jeff Saluga, who investigated Johnson's accident, wrote in his report that the Democratic chairman kept saying while he was being questioned that he was a deputy sheriff and flashed a badge and identification card at him. Saluga wrote that he inspected the ID and discovered it was a civil commission and confiscated the badge and card.
This is not the first time Johnson has gotten into trouble for flashing a badge.
Johnson was indicted in May 1972 on a misdemeanor charge of impersonating an officer as a result of an incident in December 1971. Three women said Johnson, who at the time was superintendent of the Ohio Department of Transportation's Columbiana County maintenance division, and another man in a state car stopped them on state Route 45, north of Lisbon, telling them they had been speeding and were asked if they had $50 to post bond.
A jury convicted Johnson in June 1972, but the 7th District Court of Appeals reversed the decision in April 1973 and remanded it back to trial court. Johnson avoided a retrial when he pleaded no contest to the charge in January 1974 and paid a $50 fine.
skolnick@vindy.com