Jury
convicts Ronald Johnson
on all charges;
removed from school
board, he's sent to
prison
It
took the jury just over an
hour last Friday afternoon
to return guilty verdicts
on both felony and
misdemeanor charges
against Ronald Johnson for
extortion, obstruction of
justice, and willful
failure to discharge his
duties as a public
official.
Superior
Court Judge Joseph
Crosswhite of Iredell
County sentenced him to a
prison term of six to 17
months followed by 30
months' probation (News
& Observer photo at
right shows him being
handcuffed after his
sentencing). He was
also ordered to surrender
his law-enforcement
license (Mr. Johnson was
fired by the Smithfield
Police Department in
October 2022.)
The Johnston County Board
of Education must now
appoint someone to fill
Mr. Johnson's seat on the
school board. He was
re-elected in November to
a third four-year term.
His replacement must be a
resident of District 7,
which is a densely
populated suburban area
including the town of
Clayton. The appointee
will serve the remainder
of Mr. Johnson's term –
till December 2028.
The school board met
briefly Tuesday morning to
lay out the procedure for
filling the vacancy.
Applications from
qualified citizens will be
accepted through noon
Friday, January 31. The
board will meet Tuesday,
February 4 to decide which
applicants, if not all,
will be interviewed. The
goal is to fill the
vacancy before the board's
next regularly scheduled
business meeting February
11. OPEN the
application>
Here are links to coverage
of Mr. Johnson's trial by
other news media:
• Last day of
testimony (Thursday,
Jan. 16) reported by The
News & Observer>
Links to previous
testimony posted in last
Thursday's Weekly
Sun>
• Summary of
final proceedings plus
reaction from officials
by the JoCo Report>
CLICK HERE
FOR MORE INFORMATION>
Here's how the new
Wilson's Mills High
School was taking shape
early last week. It's
scheduled to be finished
in time for the 2026-27
school year.
40,753
now enrolled in
Johnston's K-12 schools:
37,061 in
traditional schools,
3,692 in charters
Those
are the numbers in the
latest report from the
N.C. Department of Public
Instruction – the basis
for the 2024-25 allocation
of state funding for local
school operations.
Stephen Britt, chief of
finance for Johnston
County Public Schools,
reported to the county's
Board of Education last
week that enrollment in
Johnston's traditional
schools is up 138 students
over last year's number
while charter-school
enrollment of Johnston
County residents is up
218, including 108 in
online charter schools.
Three brick-and-mortar
charters are now operating
within the county's
borders. The newest, with
the largest enrollment of
the three, is American
Leadership Academy
Johnston with 2,078
students in grades K-12.
That school opened its
doors in 2022 on a campus
between Smithfield and
Clayton. Neuse Charter in
Smithfield has 926
students in grades K-12.
Johnston Charter Academy
in Clayton has 688
enrolled in grades K-8 (no
high school).
Corinth-Holders continues
to be Johnston's largest
high school with 2,189
students, according to the
state's latest report.
Clayton High is next with
1,928, followed by
Cleveland High with 1,884,
West Johnston with 1,562,
Smithfield-Selma with
1,556, South Johnston with
1,345, Princeton High with
994, and North Johnston
with 785.
The new Wilson's Mills
High School under
construction will relieve
overcrowding of students
at Corinth-Holders,
especially, and will free
up capacity at
Smithfield-Selma High and
other schools in rapidly
growing northwestern
Johnston.
WHAT'S COMING
UP
Ham & Yam Festival announces
headliner act for May
3
The
Downtown Smithfield
Development Corporation
has announced plans for
the 39th annual Ham &
Yam Festival coming up on
Saturday, May 3.
The day kicks off with the Hog Trot 5K race and the Piglet Stampede, a fun run for kids. Performances throughout the day on three stages will feature local talent, regional acts, and a free evening concert at the refurbished Neuse River Amphitheater by award-winning Country Music artist Aaron Tippin.
Other
highlights of the day will include the Southland Car Club Show, BBQ Competition for "pit masters," the quirky What’s That Yam Thing? sweet-potato decorating contest for youngsters, a Kids Zone Carnival including rides and games, plus a large assemblage of commercial vendors of crafts and other goods as well as food trucks.
Town to replace fire-hydrants on
North Fifth this
weekend
The
Town of Smithfield Water
Department will replace
two fire hydrants this
weekend, beginning
Saturday at approximately
7 p.m., and concluding by
9 a.m. Sunday. The work
will take place at North
Fifth Street intersections
at Caswell and Bridge
streets and will require a
temporary water-service
interruption in the
surrounding area.
Due to the age of the
water lines and valves,
it's uncertain how many
valves will need to be
turned off, or how many
customers will be
affected.
"In
addition to the hydrant
replacement, this project
will allow our team to
assess the condition of
the main-line valves in
the area," notes the
town's announcement. "This
evaluation will assist in
planning future upgrades
to minimize disruptions
and improve service
reliability for our
customers."
Residents with questions
or concerns are advised to contact the Smithfield Water Department at
919-934-2438.
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Ronald
Johnson's trial should
have come sooner
Regardless
of the outcome, the trial
of Board of Education
member Ronald Johnson
should have been conducted
prior to November's
election, when Johnston
County's voters returned
him to office by a
relatively small margin:
1,433 votes, which was
50.7% of total votes cast.
While Mr. Johnson was one
of three board members who
won re-election in
November, his margin of
victory was noticeably
behind what voters gave
incumbents Kay Carroll and
Lyn Andrews.
Four years ago Mr. Johnson
was the highest
vote-getter among all
candidates for the school
board – by almost 5,000
votes above the
second-place winner in
that year's race (when all
candidates ran together
at-large rather than by
districts).
Mr. Johnson was indicted
on several charges,
including a felony, in
April 2023 – related
mostly to incidents that
took place in 2022. With
no trial date in sight, he
was able to file for
re-election in December
2023 and subsequently
withstood challenges in
both the 2024 Primary and
General elections.
His reduced margin of
victory, however, showed
that a large number of his
previous supporters were
disturbed by the criminal
charges pending against
him.
Now the remaining members
of the school board must
choose Mr. Johnson's
replacement. The apparent
front-runner is Jeff
Sullivan, who finished
second behind Mr. Johnson
in a four-candidate race
in the Primary Election in
March and won 49.3% of the
vote in his loss to Mr.
Johnson in November.
Even so, expect others who
weren't candidates this
past year to apply for the
vacancy. It will be up to
a majority of the
remaining board members to
decide whom they consider
the most qualified to
represent the Clayton-area
district while looking out
for what's best for all of
Johnston County's
residents, especially our
students, their parents,
and our teachers.
AN EYEBROW-RAISING
FOOTNOTE: The
application for the
school-board vacancy
includes a signed release
that allows school
officials to use a
contractor to make
criminal background checks
as is done for prospective
school employees. That was
recommended by the board's
attorney, Katie Cornetto,
prompting board members to
point out that such checks
are not required for
candidates when they file
for election. "Maybe that
would be helpful... if we
did that," remarked Terry
Tippett, the board's vice
chair.
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