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Former Port Clinton Fire Chief Kent Johnson indicted for various sex, theft, civil-rights crimes

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

The indictment follows former Port Clinton firefighter/EMT’s allegations of sexual assault and harassment.

Former Port Clinton Fire Chief Kent Johnson indicted for various sex, theft, civil-rights crimes
Rebekah Huskey with her lead counsel, Subodh Chandra, in front of the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas Courthouse after she testified before an Ottawa County grand jury.

Port Clinton, OH – Today, former Port Clinton Fire Chief Kent Johnson was indicted by an Ottawa County grand jury of his peers on 10 counts, including various sex crimes.

Johnson was charged with the following:

  • Count 1: Unauthorized Use of Computer, Cable or Telecommunications Property, a fifth-degree felony in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2913.04(B).

  • Count 2: Voyeurism, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2907.08(D) and 2907.08(E)(4).

  • Court 3: Interfering with Civil Rights, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2921.45(A) and 2921.45(B).

  • Count 4: Menacing by Stalking, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2903.211(A)(1) and 2903.211(B)(1).

  • Count 5: Telecommunications harassment, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2917.21(A)(2).

  • Count 6: Theft in Office, a fourth-degree felony in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2921.41(A)(1) and 2921.41(B).

  • Count 7: Gross Sexual Imposition, a fourth-degree felony in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2907.05(A)(1).

  • Count 8: Gross Sexual Imposition, a fourth-degree felony in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2907.05(A)(1).

  • Count 9: Intimidation of an Attorney, Victim or Witness in a Criminal Case, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2921.04(A) and 2921.04(D).

  • Count 10: Theft, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2913.02(A)(1)

The charges seem to track the factual allegations of Ms. Huskey's federal civil-rights lawsuit.

The news marks the culmination of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s inquiry, which began early in summer 2023, into Rebekah Huskey’s allegations against Johnson of sexual improprieties. The theft-in-office charge suggests that the City of Port Clinton’s outside investigative findings were the basis for that charge.

The indictment was handed down after Special Prosecutor Gwen Howe-Gebers, the Henry County, Ohio prosecuting attorney, convened a grand jury today to hear testimony from former firefighter and EMT Rebekah Huskey and state criminal investigators.

In an unusual move, Johnson himself is believed to have testified, as he was spotted in the courthouse with his lawyer, awaiting his turn.

In her federal civil-rights lawsuit, Ms. Huskey has accused Johnson of repeatedly sexually assaulting and harassing her and seizing her personal phone without her permission to steal her intimate, personal images. That suit details Ms. Huskey’s allegations against Johnson.

Ms. Huskey’s sexual-harassment claims were substantiated by an outside investigation ordered by the city, which also found that Johnson engaged in improper reporting of hours worked by Ms. Huskey. The city ultimately fired Johnson after the outside firm released its findings.

The criminal aspects of the allegations were apparently substantiated by Ohio BCI and the grand jury.

On July 16, 2024 a visiting judge of the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas permanently dismissed Johnson’s wrongful-termination and other claims against the city and its officials over his firing.

Subodh Chandra, lead counsel for Ms. Huskey, commented, “For Ms. Huskey, this indictment represents an important step in her journey toward justice. She has waited for a long time to see any move toward accountability, and she’s grateful not just to the special prosecutor and the BCI investigators, but to the ordinary citizens who listened to her and charged Johnson with these crimes.”

Chandra added, “As a former federal prosecutor, I can count on one hand the times that the target of a criminal investigation insisted on testifying to a grand jury, much less situations in which the target’s lawyers permitted it. If he testified, Johnson’s ill-advised gambit failed spectacularly, as the grand jury, with these charges, soundly rejected that testimony.”

Johnson’s pitch to city officials when he was placed on administrative leave pending investigation, on June 6, 2023, can be found here:

The criminal case is State of Ohio v. Kent Johnson, Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas Case No. 24CR165. The indictment can be read here.

Former Port Clinton Fire Chief Kent Johnson indicted for various sex, theft, civil-rights crimes
Former firefighter/EMT Rebekah Huskey in happier days. Firefighting and EMT work was her passion until retaliation over her reporting forced her out of her dream job.

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Chandra Law is experienced obtaining justice for victims of sex/gender discrimination including sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and employment retaliation. We also secure constitutional rights like those at issue here.

And the firm helped pioneer work in holding individuals and companies accountable for civil liability for criminal acts, securing the two leading Supreme Court of Ohio decisions favorable to crime victims on the topic.

If you think that your civil rights have been violated, you may contact us to discuss your options.

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Related Practice Areas
Constitutional LawEmployment RetaliationSexual HarassmentSex/gender DiscriminationConstructive DischargeCrime Victims: Civil Action for Damages for Criminal Acts Under Ohio Revised Code § 2307.60
Tags
city-of-port-clintonthefttheft-in-officerebekah-huskeykent-johnsonport-clintongross-sexual-impositionsexual-assaultintimidationsexual-harassment

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