Ex-officer pleads guilty to misdemeanor

6/23/2014

BOWLING GREEN — A former Ohio Highway Patrol sergeant who had been charged with domestic violence has pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct in Bowling Green Municipal Court.

Shane Johnson, 43, was fined $150 by Judge Mark Reddin on Wednesday for the minor misdemeanor.

Mr. Johnson had been charged with domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor, for a Dec. 21 altercation with Michelle Evans, a woman with whom he lived in Bowling Green.

According to police reports, Ms. Evans told officers he shook her, pulled her hair, and punched her in the forehead then hit the driver’s-side door of her car with a hammer as she fled.

City Prosecutor Matt Reger said the plea deal was reached after Mr. Johnson had “significant counseling” and paid for damage to the victim’s car. The victim approved of the resolution, he said.

Judge Reddin allowed Mr. Johnson to have weapons seized from his home returned to him on the condition that they not be taken to the victim’s home.

According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, Mr. Johnson was on sick leave when the incident occurred. A patrol spokesman said Thursday that Mr. Johnson was no longer employed because of a disability unrelated to this case.