By Emma Rausch
emma@thepaperofwabash.com
Wabash attorney John Johnston’s trial has been set for July 11, 2017.
Johnston, 79, faces criminal charges following a five-month Wabash City Police investigation.
On Nov. 4, the local attorney entered a not guilty plea to felony theft and misdemeanor conversion charges, which stemmed from a report that Johnston had allegedly taken funds from a client without consent, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The client reported to Wabash Police in June that he had hired Johnston to represent him in a lawsuit that reached a settlement was reached in mid-2014 for a total of approximately $45,000, the court documents continued.
In January 2015, the client informed officers that Johnston allegedly deposited one of the defendant’s checks, which amounted to $22,145, directly into his own trust account without the client’s knowledge or consent, according to the affidavit.
On Nov. 4, Special Judge Timothy Spahr of Miami Circuit Court was appointed to the case after Judge Robert McCallen III recused himself.
Johnston’s pre-trial hearing took place Nov. 23 at Miami Circuit Court wherein another pretrial hearing was set for Feb. 9, 2017.
Jury trial was set for July 11-13, 2017, at 9 a.m. in the Wabash Circuit Court.