Here’s what’s next for JoCo school board after member’s extortion conviction, removal
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Sex, blackmail and local politics: The extortion trial of JoCo school board member Ronald Johnson
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The Johnston County Board of Education is now accepting applications to replace a school board member who was convicted on charges of extortion, obstruction of justice and failure to discharge his duties.
On Friday, Superior Court Joseph Crosswhite sentenced Ronald Johnson Jr. to a prison sentence of 6 to 17 months and ordered him removed from his school board seat. In a special meeting on Tuesday, the school board set a Jan. 31 deadline to accept applications for the vacant seat.
The new board member would complete Johnson’s term, which runs until December 2028.
“As most of you know, the seat for District 7 that was previously held by Mr. Johnson is now vacant so our responsibility as a Board of Education is to fill that vacancy and this morning we begin that process,” school board chair Lyn Andrews said Tuesday.
A recording and extra-marital affairs
Johnson is a former Smithfield police officer who was first elected to the school board in 2016. He was re-elected in November with the endorsement of the Johnston County Republican Party despite being under a criminal indictment.
Johnson was convicted of threatening to release a damaging recording of a congressional candidate in 2022. Johnson said that he could make the recording go away if the candidate could get a woman both men knew to sign a letter recanting that she was having an affair with Johnson.
The failure to discharge duties charges stem from secret recordings of school board closed sessions and how Johnson retaliated against a person by trying to get his kids who have autism transferred to a different school.
Also during the trial, Johnson admitted to having extramarital affairs with three female school district employees.
The school board had censured Johnson twice in 2022.
How to apply for Johnston County school board vacancy
Applications must be received by noon on Jan. 31. Applicants must live in District 7 and be at least 21 years old.
Candidates should submit:
▪ A letter of interest, no more than two single-spaced pages, outlining the candidate’s background..
▪ A resume.
▪ Three references
▪ Proof of domicile. An applicant must submit a voter registration document and a current water, gas, or electric bill that is no more than 30 days old, establishing a domicile in District 7.
All materials submitted are considered public records and can be emailed to cynthiadance@johnston.k12.nc.us with the subject line District 7 Board of Education Vacancy.
Applications can also be mailed to C/O District 7 Board of Education Vacancy, Johnston County Board of Education, 2320 US 70 Business Hwy East, Smithfield, NC 27577
Timeline for filling seat once belonged to Ronald Johnson
The school board will meet on Feb. 4 to decide on next steps. Depending on how many applied, the board could decide to interview applicants that same day.
School board vice chair Terry Tippett said they’re following state statutes for filling the vacancy.
School board seats in Johnston are officially non-partisan. That means the school board chooses from applicants as opposed to only picking from people selected by the Republican Party.
The board’s target date is to have a person chosen by the Feb. 11 meeting.
“I know we want to get someone seated as quickly as possible, hopefully by the February meeting,” Tippett said.
This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Here’s what’s next for JoCo school board after member’s extortion conviction, removal."
