Member of Tuscarawas County Board of Elections charged with failure to pay sales taxes

Jon Baker, The Times-Reporter
Updated ·1 min read

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to replace incorrect information. Jeremiah Johnson has been charged with failure to pay sales taxes.

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ A member of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections has been arraigned on 10 charges related to his alleged failure to pay sales taxes related to his business in Sugarcreek.

Jeremiah M. Johnson of Sugarcreek faces six counts of failure to file sales tax returns and four counts of failure to remit, related to employee compensation. All are unclassified misdemeanors. The charges were filed by the Ohio Department of Taxation on Jan. 12.

Jeremiah M Johnson, of Sugarcreek, enters into a plea of not guilty on 10 counts of failure to pay sales taxes in New Philadelphia Municipal Court. Johnson is compensated by taxpayers as a member of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections. The charges against him were filed by the Ohio Department of Taxation.
Jeremiah M Johnson, of Sugarcreek, enters into a plea of not guilty on 10 counts of failure to pay sales taxes in New Philadelphia Municipal Court. Johnson is compensated by taxpayers as a member of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections. The charges against him were filed by the Ohio Department of Taxation.

Each charge is punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and up to 500 hours of community service.

He recently appeared before Magistrate Michael Daily in New Philadelphia Municipal Court, where he entered a not guilty plea. He was released on his own recognizance.

Magistrate Michael Daily addresses Jeremiah M Johnson of Sugarcreek as he is arraigned on 10 counts of failure to pay sales taxes. Johnson is a member of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections, and is compensated by taxpayers.
Magistrate Michael Daily addresses Jeremiah M Johnson of Sugarcreek as he is arraigned on 10 counts of failure to pay sales taxes. Johnson is a member of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections, and is compensated by taxpayers.

Johnson had no comment following his arraignment.

He has been a member of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections since 2019. Members of the board of elections are paid $10,569 annually, according to county Auditor Larry Lindberg. Board members are considered public employees and are covered under the Public Employees Retirement System.  Board members also receive medical insurance coverage.

Thomas Hisrich, chairman of the board of elections, had no comment on the charges.

A former mayor of Sugarcreek, Johnson owns a pizza business in the village. He is also the political director of the Tuscarawas County Democratic Party and a member of its central committee.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Tuscarawas County elections board member faces tax charges