Ohio AG Dave Yost asks Supreme Court to suspend indicted Cleveland Councilman Ken Johnson

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Friday asked the Ohio Supreme Court to commence suspension proceedings against indicted Cleveland Councilman Ken Johnson.

Yost made the request under provisions in the Ohio Revised Code that authorize suspension of local public officials who, like Johnson, have been charged with a felony relating to their official duties.

Johnson was arrested Tuesday morning on 15 charges from a federal grand jury that among other things accuse him of swindling the council out of $127,000 by submitting false expense reports.

“Sadly, it’s become routine for us to initiate suspension proceedings for indicted city council members – Ohioans deserve representation free of public corruption and we must constrain those that abuse their power,” Yost said in a statement. “The suspension of a public official facing charges of public corruption is the proper remedy while the criminal case is resolved.”

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/2021/02/ohio-attorney-general-dave-yost-asks-supreme-court-to-suspend-indicted-cleveland-councilman-ken-johnson.html