Residents of Mt. Sterling have expressed shock and sadness that their former village administrator may have stolen public money. Former administrator Joseph Johnson faces charges he stole nearly $1 million from village coffers. He was arrested early Tuesday at his home in Jackson County.
Authorities say the 46-year-old Johnson stole the money during the four years he was administrator for Mt. Sterling, a village of about 1,700 people southwest of Columbus.
A 30-count felony indictment unsealed Tuesday accused him of racking up $300,000 on a village credit card and a variety of other crimes while working in the $66,000-a-year job.
Authorities say he was arrested Tuesday morning at his rural Jackson County home without incident.
“I feel bad for the guy. If he’s convicted of this; if that’s what happens,” said longtime Mount Sterling resident Daniel Adams. Adams says he became acquainted with Johnson through his work in the community.
“I know him. He’s just a really friendly person. And he did things for the town. He got some grants to do stuff. And I was just shocked. I didn’t think that … it’s still hard to believe that Joe did it,” Adams said.
That same sentiment was expressed by several people I spoke to in Mt. Sterling. They’re sad and disappointed. And they wonder how so much money could have allegedly been stolen from the community which only has a 6-figure operating budget.
“That’s what’s surprising about it, too. How did it go unnoticed? Mt. Sterling is not a wealthy town. That kind of money, you wonder where it even came from; where he could even get his hands on that kind of money,” Adams asked.
Sheriff’s deputies confiscated items from Johnson’s home that allegedly were purchased with village funds: appliances, tools, televisions, even vehicles.
Mt. Sterling resident Ruth Pickering says she wondered about the new cars and trucks Johnson could be seen driving around town.
“In the $50,000-range, not old, brand new. And he used them for a lot of city work – he’d act like they were for city work. So, I don’t know how he got those. So that should have been a red flag to everybody,” Pickering said.
Documents say Johnson was able to overpay himself by almost $200,000 during his time as administrator. A six-month investigation began when Johnson, village mayor Charlie Neff and another village employee resigned early this year.
Johnson’s arraignment is set for July 27.