Former deputy prosecutor suspended for battery conviction

A former Marion County deputy prosecutor convicted of battery has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for 120 days.

Indiana Supreme Court justices in a Dec. 16 order approving statement of circumstances and conditional agreement for discipline found attorney Jeremy Johnson violated Indiana Professional Conduct rules in a domestic incident.

In September 2021, Johnson was convicted of Level 6 felony battery resulting in moderate bodily injury. The incident involved a woman who reported having been choked by Johnson at least three times during an argument. Johnson grabbed the woman by the neck, threw her to the ground and choked her until she blacked out, according to reports.

Johnson admitted to detectives that he grabbed the woman by the neck and forced her to the ground multiple times during the incident, according to reports. He was arrested following the police interview.

Johnson was a deputy prosecutor at the time he committed the crime, but resigned from that position following his arrest.

“Respondent has no prior discipline, has been fully cooperative with the Commission, and has been engaged with the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program and individual counseling since his arrest,” the high court’s order states.

Justices found Johnson violated Indiana Professional Conduct Rule 8.4(b) and Rule 8.4(d) and suspended him from the practice of law in Indiana for 120 days, beginning Jan. 27, 2022, with 90 days actively served and the remainder stayed subject to completion of at least one year of probation.

Under his probation, the order states that Johnson shall:

• Continue with his current counseling and treatment as recommended by JLAP throughout both his active suspension and his probation;
• Submit quarterly reports of his JLAP status, counseling, and treatment to the commission.
• Commit no criminal or professional conduct violation, or violate any protective order, during his active suspension and probation.

Johnson’s probation shall remain in effect until it is terminated pursuant to a petition to terminate probation filed under Admission and Discipline Rule 23(16), notwithstanding the expiration of the minimum term of probation.

“Having accepted the parties’ conditional agreement and approved the agreed discipline, the Court hereby denies as moot the Commission’s ‘Notice of Finding of Guilt and Request for [Interim] Suspension’ filed in this case,” Chief Justice Loretta Rush wrote.

The costs of the proceeding are assessed against him.