South Carolinians Elect Army Reservist to Fifth Circuit Solicitor

            U.S. Army Reservist is the newly elected Solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina.  As a Judge Advocate General Corps officer in the United States Army Reserves, Cpt. Daniel E. Johnson has committed most of his adult life to serving and protecting people in one capacity or another.

            The Honorable Daniel Johnson, a native of the Washington D.C./Maryland area, came to South Carolina as a college freshman. While attending Laurel High School in Maryland, he excelled in sports and earned a full scholarship to The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.  After graduating in 1993, he went on to graduate from the University Of South Carolina School Of Law.

            The years at the University of South Carolina School of Law proved to be a great investment for the young law student. He got his first taste of the solicitor’s office as a law clerk.  He eventually became head law clerk and ultimately an assistant solicitor.

Eventually, Johnson became a special city prosecutor in the Solicitor’s office, serving as the special city prosecutor for Columbia, where he worked on the Violent Crimes Task Force.

            In 2001, Johnson’s life changed. He named two significant events that impacted his life and his career. The first was an offer to join the Richland County Sheriff’s Department as General Counsel and Captain of Internal Affairs. The second was the tragedy of 9/11.

While accepting the position with the Sheriff’s Department was certainly an opportunity for career growth, Johnson opted for the immediate action of serving his country and protecting the people of this great nation.

 “When something like that happens your first instinct is to grab a pistol and run outside and start fending off enemies,” Johnson said.  “Well, at the time I didn’t own a pistol nor was there really anyone to fend off.  I felt the overwhelming urge to just do something, so I decided to join the Reserves.  Having gone to the Citadel I had always thought about serving and this situation just gave me that final push.”

Eight years after Army Officer Basic Course training, Johnson had served a tour in Iraq, attended the Criminal Justice Academy, accepted and served in the position of General Counsel and Captain of Internal Affairs with the Sherriff’s Department and climbed the ladder of success to become Chief Deputy of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. His many years of criminal justice experience earned him credibility and trust with the constituents of Richland and Kershaw Counties (which make up the Fifth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina).

Johnson was recently elected to the office of Solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, succeeding former Solicitor Barney Giese.  He attributes much of his success to his experiences in the Army. 

“Had I not joined the Army Reserves I would not be as effective as I am in my daily life because the Army just trains you in so many ways, both mentally and physically.”

 Just 11 months in office, Johnson has started a Veteran’s Court, the first of its kind in South Carolina.   The mission is to help those military service men and women who may have gotten in trouble as a result of issues re-acclimating after serving oversees.

 “Instead of just tossing them in jail we link [them] with the VA and other organizations in our community to get these men and women the treatments they need, and to divert[from jail] them as they go through that treatment,” Johnson said.

If you want to learn how you can become an Army reservist, please contact Leslie Ann Sully at l.sully@usarec.army.mil We are always looking for good Soldiers like Cpt. Johnson