CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Chillicothe man has entered guilty pleas in multiple felony cases currently pending before the Ross County Court of Common Pleas, according to online court records.
Richard A. Johnson is involved in at least three separate criminal cases in Ross County spanning 2025 into early 2026.
Court records reflect guilty pleas have been entered in those matters, with sentencing pending.
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Weapons and Tampering Case (25CR000373)
In case number 25CR000373, Johnson was indicted on:
• Having Weapons While Under Disability (Felony 3)
• Tampering With Evidence (Felony 3)
Docket entries show the case proceeded through arraignment, pretrial hearings, and scheduled jury trial settings. On January 16, 2026, a Plea of Guilty and Judgment Entry of Guilty was filed.
A disposition hearing was scheduled for March 2, 2026. As of the most recent docket entries visible online, sentencing details have not yet been publicly posted.
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Cocaine Possession Case (26CR000034)
In a separate case filed January 16, 2026, Johnson was charged with:
• Possession of Cocaine (Felony 1)
Court records indicate a guilty plea and judgment entry of guilty were filed the same day. A notice of non-life felony indefinite prison term was also filed. The matter was scheduled for disposition in early March 2026.
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Failure to Comply and Child Endangering Case (25CR000198)
Another Ross County case filed in May 2025 charged Johnson with:
• Failure to Comply with Order or Signal of a Police Officer (Felony 4)
• Endangering Children (Misdemeanor 1)
Court records show multiple pretrial hearings and scheduled jury trial dates throughout 2025. Several hearings were continued before a guilty plea and judgment entry of guilty were filed on January 16, 2026.
Bond was continued pending disposition.
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Prior Federal Conviction (2009)
A December 3, 2009 press release issued by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland states that a Richard Johnson of Chillicothe, Ohio pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to sex trafficking and drug trafficking.
According to the release, the defendant admitted involvement in a prostitution conspiracy operating in Maryland and to distributing illegal narcotics, including MDMA (Ecstasy). The release states sentencing was scheduled for February 12, 2010.
The federal case was investigated by the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force and prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
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Current Status
According to the Ross County Clerk of Courts online docket, Johnson has entered guilty pleas in the current local cases. Sentencing outcomes had not yet been posted in the public docket at the time of review.
All information in this report was obtained from publicly accessible court records and federal press releases. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
