Top court: Local man cannot take bar exam

A Monclova Township man whose pharmacy license was revoked has been barred permanently from taking the state bar exam, making him ineligible from entering the legal profession in Ohio, the Supreme Court of Ohio decided Thursday.

Daniel Paul Poignon, 51, was convicted in 1999 on two counts of theft of drugs resulting from an investigation that found discrepancies in the narcotics supply at the pharmacy where he was employed. Although the record was sealed after Mr. Poignon successfully completed a treatment program and community control, the felony convictions were among the reasons the Supreme Court decided to deny his application.

According to a release issued Thursday, the court also based its decision on the revocation of Mr. Poignon's license as a pharmacist, his failures to find employment, and his inability to demonstrate personal or financial responsibility over a period of many years. The court noted that the various reasons "showed a lack of the character and fitness necessary to be entrusted with the legal affairs of others now or in the future."