County Prosecutor Awarded for Drunk Driving With Continued Employment, Pay Raises
Johnna Shia, Montgomery County assistant prosecutor, pictured at a bar
– By Jordan Freshour
The Montgomery County government in Ohio may love trying to catch drunk drivers via unconstitutional OVI checkpoints, but when it comes to policing the behavior of its own employees, driving while impaired is suddenly not a cause for concern.
On July 20, Johnna Shia, one of five “Team 1” prosecutors for the county court was arrested for OVI in nearby Belmont County, Ohio according to local news. Shameful enough by itself, Shia was detained after striking a vehicle which carried children, then fleeing the scene of the crime. To make matters worse, she first lied to the trooper when questioned about her alcohol consumption. Upon further interrogation, Shia admitted to a four-day bender prior to her display of hypocritical behavior, which can be seen by clicking here.
Shia failed a sobriety test, and rendered a .134 BAC when tested – the equivalent of 6 or more drinks for the average person.
When Greg Flannagan, spokesman for the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, was asked if Shia had been placed on leave, he declined to discuss the matter further. Given the history of substandard disciplinary action within the ranks of his office, this likely means no meaningful action will be taken at all.
UPDATE: “Shia has not worked since the incident and is currently on medical leave, a Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman said Friday. Asked about any administrative action after Shia’s previous two drunk-driving arrests in 2006 and 2012, office spokesman Greg Flannagan said: “I can inform you that corrective measures were taken, but I cannot elaborate specifically.”” -Dayton Daily News
According to WHIO-TV and documents obtained by TruthVoice, this is Shia’s third time caught operating a vehicle while impaired. In 2005, she was arrested for drunk driving after speeding past a Springboro police cruiser near her home. In that instance, Shia attempted to use her prosecutor’s badge (to no avail) as special privilege to avoid being detained. Her only discipline was a $350 fine and 6 month suspension of her driver’s license, with both drunken driving and speeding charges dismissed. She also attended a rehabilitation program while serving a one-year probation.
This clearly did little good to amend her behavior. In 2012, she was again arrested for OVI in Miami Township, a neighboring suburb. It is not known what internal discipline – if any – she received. However, drunk driving charges were again dismissed, and not only was Shia allowed to keep her job, she was awarded a pay raise in 2006 and 2013, the years following her first two charges. Shia is on track to be paid more than $72k of taxpayer money in 2015.
This is hypocrisy of the highest degree, and a fine example of how government views itself as being above their own rules. The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that Shia has prosecuted other citizens for OVI during her continuing tenure with the county. TruthVoice reports the names of four individuals whom she has personally been involved in trying for the same crime she is now 3 times guilty of committing herself.
If this makes you angry, it should. Crony politics in Montgomery County are well-documented, and corruption of various forms have been ongoing for decades.
If you want to help clean up government waste at the Prosecutor’s Office, call (937) 225-5757 8:30a – 4:30p, M-F, ask for Mat Heck Jr or Greg Flannagan, and request Johnna Shia be fired. You can also visit her personal Facebook page and send a private message condemning her behavior, asking her to resign.
Article has been edited 8/15/2015 to reflect updates and more accurate information.
