School Board Member Ronald Johnson Indicted

JOHNSTON COUNTY – A Johnston County Grand Jury returned a five count criminal indictment today (Monday) against Johnston County School board member Ronald Johnson.

A Grand Jury indicted Mr. Johnson on three counts of felony obstruction of justice and single felony counts of extortion and willful failure to discharge duties.

Johnson is accused of extorting DeVan Barbour IV, a former candidate for US House in 2022. Johnson, according to the indictment, communicated a threat to Barbour to release a recording in the defendant’s possession of defamatory allegations concerning DeVan Barbour IV weeks before a primary election in which Barbour was on the ballot. Johnson allegedly threatened to release a recording of Barbour if he did not pressure a woman into recanting her statement she had an affair with Johnson.

Johnson is also charged with three counts of failure to discharge his duties as a member of the Johnston County Board of Education. On May 31, 2022, Johnson allegedly unlawfully and willfully recorded a closed session of a Board of Education meeting in violation of Board duties.

On November 10, 2022, he allegedly failed to comply with a public records request in violation of Board duties. And on July 1, 2022 he attempted to have two Clayton High school special needs students transferred to another school as an act of personal retaliation, in violation of his board duties.

The obstruction of justice indictment alleges Johnson, on or about January 23, 2023, removed evidence related to his criminal activity from Clayton Fitness, when he became aware that law enforcement was investigating his belongings in the facility.

In October, 2022, Johnson was fired from his job as a detective with the Smithfield Police Department. In August 2022, the school board voted to censure him and also called for his resignation. Mr. Johnson was elected to the board of education in 2016 and re-elected to another four year term in 2020.


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26 COMMENTS

  1. If you do the crime, you should do the time. It’s a bad week for politicians that commit crimes. It about time 😃

    • I want our Honorable Ronald Johnson to remember the incredible amount of votes he received and each of those votes are potentially one of his jurors? Mr. Johnson our county is still a red county and if you had these odds in a gambling casino you would walk out the door a free man. Just think of it this way Mr. Johnson you will be dealt twelve jurors and all you need is one faithful feed-up conservative juror not five or twelve but just one? Why have you not set up a defense fund yet is beyond me because I think you would be a wealthy man by now if you did?

      • “Honorable”?!?!? I don’t think that means what you think it does. RonJon has been grandstanding for more than a year now, with little to show: school results continue to be dismally low, despite increased funding. Our schools are overcrowded and understaffed. RonJon violated his oath of office by secretly recording meetings. He was fired from Smithfield PD for not doing his job. He’s been indicted for lying and obstructing justice. If that’s what you call “honorable” then I weep for the future of our county.

      • Honorable huh? Do you think those charges are honorable. Would you want him using his position of power to do those things to you and your family?

      • Yep, that sounds like a fair an impartial jury. I voted for him last election (before he went nuts, or at least it was as well known he was nuts). If prosecutors prove their case I would have no problem finding him guilty.

  2. Opps!
    An investor who believed he knew how to sneak by with his own
    unethical behavior.
    That is bad, and it will cost Mr. Johnson considerably!
    Laws are to be enforced!

  3. Have you ignorant conservative GOP election deniers now realized that the Democrat National play book of using the Justice Department to remove all of you out of elected positions is a Hell of alot easier than the voting box? Do you guys really think that destroying the Ronald Johnson school board member was just coincidental and has nothing to do with it happening on the eve of Donald J. Trump indictment? Republican’s that really value your freedom listen to your Liberal Progressive Democrat friends now and believe it when we tell you that our George Soros bought and paid for Distict Attorneys across this Nation has now declared War on you elected conservatives? WHAT A GREAT DAY TO BE A DEMOCRAT IN JOHNSTON COUNTY!!! Ma Andrews, $180-K-Carroll, Terry”Judas”Tippett and Mike”Pastor”Wooten get our LBGTQ Drag Queen school board member appointed now!!!

    • Spout partisan vitriol much? There are at least as many Democrats who have done as much or worse. The crux of this is ….don’t break the law no matter who you are. Start the day with a prayer (or two) and then do you duty to the best of it.
      Trump 2024 !!

  5. He shouldn’t resign unless the alleged pedophile on the commissioners resigns! If these crimes are true he should definitely be held accountable but just like the alleged pedophile he has the right to stay on the board until his trial is over.

    • Mr. Braswell is scheduled for a jury trial on October 9, 2023 for his criminal charge of indecent liberties with a child.

      • Well good. Ron Johnson should be afforded the same privilege of remaining in the board until trial is over. At least he was voted in by people who had choice, unlike Braswell who was “re-elected” only because he was running unopposed.

    • Except the Clintons, and the Bidens, and everyone of the Epstein blackbook, and every 3AM ballot dropper, and every immigrant entering illegally.

      I think you mean, justice for few.

  7. It’s a bad week for politicians that commit crimes. It about time

    Laws are to be enforced!

    WHAT A GREAT DAY TO BE A DEMOCRAT IN JOHNSTON COUNTY!!! Ma Andrews, $180-K-Carroll, Terry”Judas”Tippett and Mike”Pastor”Wooten get our LBGTQ Drag Queen school board member appointed now!!!

    The USA is so screwed if that is how people think. Pretty funny not one democrat has been dragged thru the mud yet we see its nothing but republicans and or ones that value the USA and value freedoms.

    If you are a democrat then you can break laws and all sorts of other things and you will be protected. Again this country is so messed up now. You support democrats you are a traitor.

    • Time for the Bidens, Obamas and Clinton’s to be arrested! Don’t forget Stein, Cooper and all the illegally elected in our government. And while we are at it, let’s arrest Zuckerberg, Soros, Burr, Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff, Cheney, the J6 committee, Kinzinger and all those who lied about J6.

  8. A county commissioner on trial for child molestation, an education board member indicted for obstruction and extortion…. JoCo voters really know how to pick ’em! The soluis simple: vote out incumbents!

    • To be fair, the commissioner on trial for child molestation was appointed by the board of commissioners to fill a vacant seat. Can’t wait to see who they appoint if he’s found guilty and it is vacated again.

      • Initially he was appointed but then in 2022 he was elected because no one ran against him so we the people had no choice in having him in office. If he cared about the county he would have stepped down So someone could be elected.to fill his place.

        • @JenR. There’s ALWAYS a choice. If the JoCo GOP cared, they would have run a better candidate. If the people cared, they would have left the ballot blank or written in a different person. More than 50,000 people voted for an accused child molester. #ReapWhatYouVote

  9. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Bout time this guy was put away. Glad to see all of his crimes finally coming to light. Have been saying for over a year what an awful person and guy he is. Love it.

  10. So this is the guy you are all defending. Come on man.

    Johnson appeared in court Tuesday morning, where he entered the courtroom in foot shackles. PRICELESS

    According to court documents, Johnson in April 2022 attempted to extort a congressional candidate, DeVan Barbour, by threatening to release a defamatory recording targeting Barbour weeks before the primary election.

  11. Every case he has ever worked or been associated with as an Smithfield leo/detective should be reviewed..if he will stoop this low to win and save face imagine what he would do to someone with an criminal record and no advocate.. sickening

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