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WARREN -- Former Mineral Ridge restaurant owner Joel Johnson was given one year in prison and labeled a Tier 2 sex offender at sentencing Tuesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Johnson, 44, of Warren, pleaded guilty in September to two felony charges of having sexual conduct with a minor that stemmed from a June 2010 incident.
He was sentenced by Judge Andrew D. Logan, who denied Johnson probation because of a previous conviction for a sex offense.
Defense attorney Rhys Cartwright-Jones sought probation for Johnson, saying it's unlikely he would present more trouble for the court.
Johnson wrote a letter to the judge accepting responsibility for the offenses, but Logan said he didn't think the letter showed true remorse by Johnson. Before sentencing, Johnson apologized to the judge and his accuser, saying he is in the process of "finding my faith."
The owner of the former Pho Viez in Mineral Ridge, Johnson in 2020 was put on probation after being convicted of paying a minor to engage in sex in a March 8, 2017, offense. In that instance, a female victim was being prostituted out of Mahoning County, a county prosecutor said at the time.
As a Tier 2 sexual offender, Johnson is required to register his residence and workplace with the sheriff's office in the county where he resides twice per year for 25 years after his release from prison.
Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Gabriel Wildman said the latest charges stemmed from offenses that came to light when Johnson went to court on the first set of sex charges. The victim in this case was a 13-year-old girl who was a friend of the family, Wildman said. No victim impact statement was given during sentencing.
Wildman said he would have liked to have seen Johnson sentenced to more time in prison.
gvogrin@tribtoday.com